JJ Appleton & Jason Ricci Trio
Tuesday, September 30, 2025 8:00 pm
Cafe Eleven
501 A1A Beach Blvd, St. Augustine, FL 32080
(904) 460-9311
Having traveled over many musical territories as a songwriter, singer, guitarist and producer, JJ Appleton has always used one compass – the blues. After seeing a double bill with Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee and John Hammond, Jr. at age 10, he was hooked.
JJ was born into the paternal influence of a political radical & musical genius who played his son massive amounts of the Folkways catalog on vinyl. Rebelling as teens do, JJ left the sweet smells and deep snows of Vermont for New York City – moving on to paying the rent singing on Diet Coke commercials, co-writing with pop-tarts & charlatans, and all the while playing long guitar solos in smoke filled halls of ill repute.
With over 20+ years of history making music across multiple genres, JJ Appleton’s musical experiences & influences have been informed by a history of working directly with artists, songwriters & producers like David Bowie, Kesha, & Darius Rucker.
Live appearances have also included tours and television appearances with David Bowie’s Lazarus, Taj Mahal, Joe Walsh, Keb Mo, Don Henley, Jimmy Fallon, Jewel, Michael C Hall, Gail Ann Dorsey, Donny McCaslin, Hootie and The Blowfish, Donny Osmond, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Good Morning America, & Carson Daly.
In 2015, a what-the-hell series of phone calls to hire led to a joining of forces between JJ Appleton and Muli-Blues Award winning Jason Ricci, a world heavyweight champion harmonica player, bluesman, songwriter, and personality. Their new recordings are a rebirth and deep breath of fresh air for both parties. Recording 100% unplugged (nary a guitar picks up or harp mic in sight), the album Dirty Memory mixes gutbucket-noir Blues, Roots with dirt still on them, and a sprinkle of Cajun Americana. Original compositions updated traditional and devotion to musicianship all blend to make a musical collection of real fire, fury, fortitude, & fun.
Appleton and Ricci’s next release “Beautiful Slop” was aptly described in Making A Scene: “It is impossible to describe how well Appleton and Ricci fit together musically. Some combinations are just meant to happen, like Jagger and Richards or Page and Plant. This is one of those. “Beautiful Slop” indeed. Turn it on, turn the volume up, and get ready to be blown away!”
JJ has expanded his touring and recording reach teaming up with Italian harmonica master Manlio Milazzi in 2022 for their release “North of the Sea”. 2022 also brought Appleton a Blues Blast Magazine nomination for Acoustic Guitarist of the Year.
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