On the road with
Jim Taplin And Mick Holmes Rachel Horne Jim Taplin has some of the best blues rock n’ roll power notes in South Yorkshire, if not the UK. If you haven’t heard of him its probably due to his utter disregard for self-promotion. Although you can keep up to date with his gigs on Facebook, James builds most of his fan base the old fashioned way. Through his amazing performances. It’s all about playing live in front of a crowd, which is why his first 2 Eps, aptly named Live at the Dive and Just Live at the Dive, were recorded at Cask Corner. One of Jim’s favourite haunts.
Jim is often found performing with his bezzie and sidekick, Mick Holmes, one our towns #DoncoGems. By day this fella is a serious mortgage advisor, by night he’s a bad-ass harmonica player. Hailing from Edlo, Mick is now a firm fixture of the Donny music scene too playing in bands such as 13 Women and wowing audiences with his pipe playing skills. Today is a Sunday and James has just finished a gig at Scawthorpe Social Club. It has been a family fun day, all the generations together partying to James’ soulful, blues rock ‘n’ roll. Grandads and toddlers alike busting shapes on the dance floor to Jim’s re-imagined covers
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Photography: Mark Loraine ©2015
and original songs. Tonight we’re hitting the road for a different sort of gig. A Manchester event organised by Owen Andrews of Fluidity, a former resident now student at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute in Manchester. James tells me Owen is one of the best guitarists he knows for a young fella in his early 20s - that’s a huge compliment. We’re amongst talented artists tonight. Although Mick and Jim have been building a following at the Honey Bee Blues club in Sheffield, they’re not as well known in Manchester and tonight it’s an all muso crowd. It’s a chance to make their mark. Whilst en route Mick gets his head down for a snooze and I get to ask Jim a little bit about his story. He was born “down south” in Newham, East London. He then moved to Dagenham in Essex before his family relocated to Lincolnshire when James was only 3. It was in Lincolnshire where he met the love of his life Natalie, who he married in 2010. At 18 James enrolled to study at Mattersea Hall Bible College Studying a BA in Bibilcal Studies and Theology,
which was essentially a philosophy course which ironically deconstructed everything he had been taught at Church. This was a difficult but transformative time and Jim left the college to work in bars and pubs across the Bawtry area spending a lot of time partying and playing live in the venues. It was also the time when Jim realised that he wanted to dedicate his life to music. Over the following years he builtup a solid base of venues and bookings which enable him to live his passion full-time. He is one of the founding hosts of Wednesday Open Mic night at Cask Corner which he now shares with David Bailey from Groom Lake Fugitives. He also plays regular gigs with his band the Smoking Beagles, so his diary is pretty much fully booked. Yet the life of a musician is not an easy path to tread. I feel for Jim darting from gig to gig striving to earn a crust. I ask him: ”What are your dreams are for the future and where do you want to go with your music?” His answer is humbling: “I just want to make great music work with great musicians and be recognised by fans that listen. I really respect George