The Strats – The Band

The Strats are a five piece blues rock band fronted by guitarist Will Ludford. Will has played and worked with many top bands in his day ..including Jamming with Jimi Hendrix….Tiny Tim…..Anton Ellis ….The Barron Knights..and says that George Harrison was the nicest person he ever met in music. Will is now earning respect from a new generation of musicians who are discovering his music for the first time. In the late 60s early seventies, Will spent five years in the London Drug clinic, he quit music for a while after losing a good friend from a drug overdose. He is back into his music now full time, writing good classic rock songs and releasing quality music on the Holy Grail Record label , although now mainly a recluse, Will does the odd date here and there with the Strats, he lives in a small castle in County Monaghan Ireland complete with its own 24 track recording studio.

Will has been playing guitar for some time, starting in his first band in Leighton Buzzard with school friends. They played at local school functions and friends parties. They played music by The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix etc. When Will left school he worked at a garage, serving petrol and saved enough to buy his first Fender Strat.    For a while Will worked at the music shop which was in Bridge street in Leighton Buzzard, this was owned by Richard Watts , of  Sims Watts amplification fame!   here he often jammed with  friends   Art Noveau … who became Kajagoogoo,   He then joined other local bands and became the guitarist in the Rock Band “Diamond Lil”, who did very well on the college circuit in the UK.  Will also performed some session work at the now legendary Chalk Farm Studios in London.  here  he met and worked with the  truly talented Alton Ellis  and Sly and Robbie , very professional people and musicians…  Will says that one of the highlights of his life was being at the Beatles Apple Headquarters in Saville Row, where he met George Harrison, who encouraged him to go on and further explore his music; he describes George as the nicest man he ever met in music.

In his career Will has worked with numerous well known bands and musicians such as Tiny Tim, Alton Ellis, George Harrison, The Barron Knights and was privilaged to have jammed with Jimi Hendrix. While on tour in Germany Will had a break down and was taken back to the UK where he spent five years in a London drug clinic, when he left the clinic  he entered a monastery for three years and joined a  cult who follow the path of the Holy Grail.  After losing a couple of good friends from drug overdoses, Will quit music for a while but is now back full time and lives in a small castle in Co. Monaghan, Ireland.  The Strats band members all still live in Leighton Buzzard and Will joins them for tours and shows.   The new CD from the Strats “Falling Off The Edge Of The World” reached no. 5 in the American aiir radio charts and was voted 14th best CD of 2009,  Will has now built his own 24 track studio at the castle and looks forward to recording a new CD,   ..now mostly a recluse, Wills music and guitar playing is being discovered by a new generation of musicians.

The first album to be released by Will Ludford and the Strats was “Warriors Of The Night” this was a live album…and one can see the power of the guitar work that ludford is capable of..the songs are all original…and have a certain feel of an era gone by where musicians had to play in the studio ..and if it was wrong..play it again until it was right….but the album has all the charm of a good pop/rock album…songs that are full of riffs and blazing guitar solos.

The new release from the Strats is “Falling Off The Edge Of The World” here again all the songs were written by Will Ludford.. on this album he has moved towards a more classic rock feel….ie., .Hendrix..Free..ect. ,and his guitar work is more flowing.. it is easy to understand why this album had extensive air play on radio stations across Europe..and even reached no. 5 in the American aiir radio chart and was voted 14th best album by Blues Underground radio network…..it is by all accounts..a classic Pop/Rock album…..to be put beside the likes of Fleetwood Mac..Dire Straits Free..and is still being played on radio stations in Poland and Russia.

…..More About The Strats…..

The Strats are a five piece blues rock band fronted by guitarist Will Ludford. Will has played and worked with many top bands in his day ..including Jamming with Jimi Hendrix….Tiny Tim…..Anton Ellis ….The Barron Knights..and says that George Harrison was the nicest person he ever met in music. Will is now earning respect from a new generation of musicians who are discovering his music for the first time.

In the late 60s early seventies, Will spent five years in the London Drug clinic, he quit music for a while after losing a good friend from a drug overdose. He is back into his music now full time, writing good classic rock songs and releasing quality music on the Holy Grail Record label.

Although now mainly a recluse, Will does the odd date here and there with the Strats, he lives in a small castle in County Monaghan Ireland complete with its own 24 track recording studio.