About Stir Fried

Stir Fried is a band that blends different genres effortlessly to create their own unique style. This is evident on their third cd—Last of the Blue Diamond Miners first cut, Vanessa, which features New Orleans Jazz Funk master Dr. John, P Funk genius Bernie Worrell, Bluegrass banjo legend Tony Trischka and psychedelic cowboy Buddy Cage. Stir fried was featured in Dean Budnick’s legendary 1998 book, Jam Bands : North America’s Hottest live Groups.

Stir Fried is the brain child of singer, songwriter, guitarist Johnny Markowski. The son of the brilliant songwriter, producer and recording artist Thomas Jefferson Kaye, Johnny continues a strong musical connection with “Tommy” Kaye, as well as his own musical creative journey. The band started in the early 90’s based around Johnny’s ever-growing catalog of original songs, as well as doing “tribute” to some “Tommy” Kaye chestnuts. Each year saw growth in popularity, recordings (3 cds) and gigs, doing 150 shows a year at the height, playing all around the country. Top musicians and living legends graced the stage and Studio with Stir Fried. The list is amazing! Check out the Musicians page to get an idea of the Collaborators (and Co-conspirators). Top on the list is Mr. Buddy Cage who played hundreds of gigs and countless recordings adding magic with his searing pedal steel. Next on the list is Vassar Clements. We did over one hundred gigs with Vassar and he graced our second and third CDs with his magical fiddle. The Music page features a couple of unreleased live shows to listen to with more to be added. The musical journey saw The New Riders of the Purple Sage Tour with Johnny on drums, Buddy in his old seat on pedal steel. This left little time for Stir Fried so the band gigged at a reduced pace. Today sees the band playing locally with a handful of gigs but some members including Johnny continue to gig and record with several bands. Check the Upcoming Gigs page to see what the band, and band members are up to.