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Jonny Lang On World Cafe

Before he could legally drive, my guest in this session had his first platinum record. Jonny Lang was 15 when he released Lie to Me, the explosive album that earned him accolades as part the next generation of virtuosos who would keep the blues blazing.

Success when you're that young? You can imagine it comes with a few perks and a few growing pains. For Lang that included some partying and some drinking, but he cleaned up after one particular sobering moment – which we will talk about.

In the years since his teenage debut, Lang has won a Grammy Award, toured with the likes of B.B. King, Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones, and one of his heroes – Buddy Guy. He's also gotten married, had five children and released a handful of albums, including his latest,Signs. It's a raw return to Lang's bluesy roots, and he performed some of it for us in front of a live audience at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia. Hear the complete session in the player above.

Copyright 2021 XPN. To see more, visit XPN.

Talia Schlanger hosts World Cafe, which is distributed by NPR and produced by WXPN, the public radio service of the University of Pennsylvania. She got her start in broadcasting at the CBC, Canada's national public broadcaster. She hosted CBC Radio 2 Weekend Mornings on radio and was the on-camera host for two seasons of the television series CBC Music: Backstage, as well as several prime-time music TV specials for CBC, including the Quietest Concert Ever: On Fundy's Ocean Floor. Schlanger also guest hosted various flagship shows on CBC Radio One, including As It Happens, Day 6 and Because News. Schlanger also won a Canadian Screen Award as a producer for CBC Music Presents: The Beetle Roadtrip Sessions, a cross-country rock 'n' roll road trip.