Biography:
Lister started playing guitar at 8 and played his first concert in a bar band at the age of 13. He had learned guitar by playing along to his father's old 45s of Freddie King, John Mayall and Eric Clapton. By the time he was 18, having already been in several bands, he formed his own, which recorded two albums Messin' With The Kid (1996) and Pay Attention! (1997). Three numbers written by Lister, on the second album, attracted the attention of Ruf Records' owner Thomas Ruf. In 1998 they signed a record deal and Lister recorded his first major album, Aynsley Lister, produced by Jim Gaines. The tracks were primarily Lister compositions, and the album featured a guest appearance by Walter Trout. The album led to him touring Europe and working with some of the top current blues players.
While Lister's music is blues based, his own material incorporates contemporary influences with harder rhythms and guitar work, reminiscent of early Eric Clapton. Lister was the only British artist to be featured in Classic Rock's 2007 "Top 10 Contemporary Blues Artists"; alongside The White Stripes, The Black Keys, John Mayer, Jon Spencer, Jonny Lang, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Joe Bonamassa, Derek Trucks and the North Mississippi Allstars.
After his first album Lister began opening for artists such as Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, John Mayall and contemporaries such as Bryan Adams and Fun Lovin Criminals. Having become better known, he now headlines major festivals in Europe. He has twice played the Heitere Open Air in Switzerland to 12,000 people and in 2006 he played the main stage at The Bayfront Blues Festival, MN. Later that year he was invited to sit in with Delbert McClinton at The Pinedale Blues Festival in Wyoming, where Delbert kept Lister on stage for the whole second half of his show. In May 2009, Lister played to over 16,000 people whilst opening for the legendary Lynyrd Skynyrd on the UK dates of their God and Guns tour, performed a headline slot at Glastonbury in 2010 and during the same year, shared the stage with ZZ Top at the Skånevik Bluesfestival in Norway.
Lister has also recorded with Jesse Davey from the English blues band The Hoax on Everything I Need (2000) and All Or Nothing (2002) both produced by Greg Haver (Manic Street Preachers, Catatonia). Everything I Need was his debut US release in 2006, in preparation for a US tour, and received critical acclaim. Lister's fourth studio album, and his first to only contain original material, was 2007's Upside Down which Lister produced himself.
In June 2008 Lister changed to ARM Management and signed to Manhaton Records in August 2008, releasing Equilibrium in March 2009. Equilibrium was produced by Steve Darrel Smith and features Robbie McIntosh, Paul Beavis and Simon Johnson. Following "Equilibrium", he and his band relocated to the Tower Arts Centre and with the tape rolling, nailed a cracking rendition of their high-octane live set to produce the storming 'Tower Sessions' record, which was released on Manhaton Records in 2010 and consequently voted 'Best Live Album' in the 2011 Blues Matters Writers Poll.
For the tenth album of his career to date, "Home" (2013), Aynsley has flown the nest of being under contract with anyone but himself. "Home" is the debut release for his own label "Straight Talkin' Records," set up in partnership with his fiancée and manager, Stephanie Wildey in the same year.
Free
Aynsley Lister Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
At the things you used to say
Sitting over coffee, whenever you'd be passing by
When we'd just talk the hours away
An eye for a bargain, always worth a look
You found me the guitar I'd never sell
Always the mender, whatever it took
To give it back to me ringing like a bell
Oh how quickly you slipped away
All the things I never got to say, yeah
Now you're free
You lived a life to the full right to the end (I remember)
Memories, of the times gone past but I'll see you again
I know I'll see you again
All about money was to you a means to an end
Just like the car that you drove
To you it was nothing, to lend a hand to a friend
No limit to how far you'd go
Phased by nothing, even in your darkest time
You just kept yourself locked away
You fought like a lion, the hardest fight of your life
Lived your last days on the crest of a wave
Oh how quickly you slipped away
All the things I never got to say, yeah
Now you're free,
You lived a life to the full right to the end (I remember)
Memories, of the times gone past but I'll see you again
I know I'll see you again yeah
The lyrics to Aynsley Lister's song Free are an ode to a close friend who has passed away. The first stanza talks about how the singer used to have long conversations with the friend over coffee, and how the friend was always there to fix the singer's guitar. The second stanza highlights the friend's values: to them, money was just a means to an end, and they would go to any lengths to help a friend in need. The singer also praises the friend's bravery in fighting their final battle and how they lived their life to the fullest until the end.
The chorus highlights the singer's grief and regret over not having the chance to say all the things they wanted to say to the friend before they passed away. However, the singer consoles themselves with the thought that the friend is now free and that they will see them again.
The lyrics reflect a deep sense of loss and the complex emotions that come with losing a loved one. Despite the sadness, the singer finds solace in the memories of good times shared with the friend and the knowledge that they lived a full life. The lyrics are a poignant tribute to the friend who has passed away and show the deep impact they had on the singer's life.
Line by Line Meaning
I remember laughing, with tears in my eyes
I have fond memories of us laughing so hard that it brought tears to my eyes
At the things you used to say
I loved the things you used to say because they were so funny
Sitting over coffee, whenever you'd be passing by
Whenever you would pass by, we would sit down and catch up over a coffee
When we'd just talk the hours away
We would talk for hours and lose track of time
An eye for a bargain, always worth a look
You were always on the lookout for a good deal
You found me the guitar I'd never sell
You helped me find a guitar that was so perfect that I would never want to sell it
Always the mender, whatever it took
You were always there to fix things for me, no matter what it took
To give it back to me ringing like a bell
And when you were finished fixing it, it sounded amazing
Oh how quickly you slipped away
I can't believe how fast you passed away
All the things I never got to say, yeah
There were so many things I never got to say to you
Now you're free
But now you are free from pain and suffering
You lived a life to the full right to the end (I remember)
You lived your life to the fullest, right up until the end
Memories, of the times gone past but I'll see you again
I have great memories of the times we spent together, but I know I will see you again someday
I know I'll see you again
I am sure that I will see you again someday
All about money was to you a means to an end
Money was just a tool for you, a means to get what you wanted
Just like the car that you drove
Even the car you drove was just a tool to get you from point A to point B
To you it was nothing, to lend a hand to a friend
Helping a friend was something you would always do without hesitation
No limit to how far you'd go
And you would go to great lengths to help your friends
Phased by nothing, even in your darkest time
You were never fazed by anything, even in your darkest moments
You just kept yourself locked away
You preferred to deal with your problems on your own, without burdening others
You fought like a lion, the hardest fight of your life
You fought your illness with all your strength, like a lion fighting for their life
Lived your last days on the crest of a wave
But even at the end, you were content and at peace, living your life to the fullest
Contributed by Gabriella Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
steve tulley
Love this song Aynsley.. reminds me of people we’ve lost over the years ..so much feeling dude awesome lead too great team …we’ve been out to see you several times and are always well impressed
Jos Rombouts
Wahw, great performance, beautiful song and a great guitarplayer.
HarleyDave46
Downloaded this today, great album, beautiful song
danny r
pretty good sound guys, I play bass I dig the guitar playing though a lot keep playing (usa)... peace. dan.
sam thecat
I work with Aynsley's Sister In Law, she told me this track was made in memory of his friend. DEDICATION ALL THE WAY
TheBlackycat
Thanks for the nice video. Posting it on Facebook. :)
Mike
Aynsley is fantastic
omegalast800
...nice vid' Ian!
DoIC342IDO
CRUSADER!! ;)