“I’m guessing he wasn’t in, otherwise he would have quite obviously invited us in for a jam”: America’s Got Talent star Old Grey Guitarist plays Whole Lotta Love… outside Jimmy Page’s house
Back in 2023, John Wines – aka Old Grey Guitarist – skyrocketed to six-string stardom after his epic America’s Got Talent audition, during which he channeled Brian May and Eddie Van Halen, went viral.
Now, he’s grabbed guitarists’ attention yet again with another electric guitar stunt, but this time it didn’t take place in front of a live studio audience. Instead, it occurred in front of Jimmy Page’s home.
On Instagram, Wines posted a video that saw him and his Fender Stratocaster stationed outside Page’s home in London, which happens to be one of the stops along one of London’s popular Rock N Roll Black Cab tours.
And, in tribute to one of his heroes, Wines took the opportunity while outside Page’s humble abode to briefly alight and rip through the solo to Whole Lotta Love.
“The great jimmy solo to equally classic zeppelin track, outside the great man’s house!” Wines writes. “I’m guessing he wasn’t in, otherwise he would [have] quite obviously invited us in for a jam.”
Rather than going full Led Zeppelin and using a source material-accurate Gibson Les Paul for the occasion, Wines instead opts for his sunburst Strat and – as one would expect – does a top-notch job executing the iconic guitar solo.
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Wines seems to have cracked the code for piquing people’s interests on social media, and it turns out he's made this "playing iconic songs near their spiritual homes" an actual thing. In a separate YouTube video, he can be seen playing songs outside Abbey Road, Freddy Mercury's house and more, while on the taxi tour.
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It’s been a whirlwind year for Wines, who recently celebrated the first anniversary of his internet-breaking America’s Got Talent audition, which he followed up with an equally impressive Qualifiers round performance.
“It was definitely emotional, especially with the crowd there,” Wines told Guitar World of his audition. “The only abiding memory I have from that whole performance is the audience at the end shouting, ‘We want more!’ It just shocked me and hit me like a ton of bricks. I wasn’t expecting that at all.”
Matt is a Senior Staff Writer, writing for Guitar World, Guitarist and Total Guitar. He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 16 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. When he’s not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt records for a number of UK-based bands and songwriters as a session musician.
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