The Vincent Brothers have been brothers for a long time now… well, since Paul (guitar and vocals) came along and joined the then three-year-old John (bass, vocals, stomp box) in their Liverpool family home. Paul’s been cramping his style ever since!
They’ve been into music all their lives – their parents’ love of Johnny Mathis and Matt Monroe not stopping the wannabe rockers from jumping around their bedroom to The Jam and Orange Juice. A life as musicians beckoned – together with stints over the years as paper-boys, shop-hands, students, fruit-pickers, teachers, technicians, and postmen.
The boys honed their craft in many different bands – often apart, occasionally together.
John came closest to the big time whilst playing bass with Two Way Street – supporting David Bowie in Milton Keynes Bowl and joining Paul Young on his British tour in the early 90s; he also enjoyed a successful spell as Art Garfunkel (replete with curly wig!) in the celebrated Sounds of Simon and Garfunkel tribute band. Paul, meanwhile, was supporting luminaries such as Doctor and the Medics, Mr Methane and Buster Bloodvessel, and touring Britain and Ireland whilst playing guitar with Goodness Gracious Groove and John Lennon tribute band Instant Karma.
In 2018, John and Paul decided to formally convene a duo they’d previously only wheeled out for family parties. They started playing at various private functions and some local bars under the names Brazil and Marrakesh Express. During lockdown, John decided to start using an electric double bass that had been gathering dust. It was at this time that the boys also incorporated their late dad’s name into a new project: The Vincent Brothers was born!
Inspired by the boom of the double bass, John’s denim dungarees, and a penchant for trucker caps (bolo ties, trouser braces, and wide-brimmed hats for more formal occasions), the boys steered their sound towards country, whilst still playing lots of songs from diverse eras and genres… but with a certain self-titled country bounce! They are now joyously segueing from George Ezra to Johnny Cash, swinging from Harry Styles to Glen Campbell, and bouncing from Daft Punk to John Denver… and their audiences are loving it!
Now hailed as Crosby’s own Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, The Vincent Brothers are cooking up a storm and revelling in it. Their unique sound – fusing acoustic loveliness with tight two-part harmonies and kicking stomp box will have you hooking your thumbs in your jeans pockets, two-stepping, and shouting ‘Yee-Haw’!
