Check out his amazing Delmark recordings here:
https://delmark.com/artists/johnny-burgin/
Delmark recording artist Johnny Burgin took the same long path of blues apprenticeship as so many others, working with legends such as Sam Lay, Pinetop Perkins, Tail Dragger and Billy Boy Arnold. Johnny’s no rock-blues player– last summer he was even the guitar instructor at the Pinetop Perkins Workshop Experience working alongside traditionalists as Bob Margolin and Billy Branch. But Johnny’s brand of traditional blues has always had a certain edge. Living Blues stated “Johnny’s unhinged Chicago blues… will keep transcriptionists busy for a long while.” and Bman’s Blues Report stated “Johnny has that raw looseness on guitar that is so lost from blues recordings today”. And he’s always sought out interesting new contexts to work within: his latest CD, “No Border Blues:Japan”, was the first American compilation of the underground Japanese blues scene, was a critical and musical success.
Delmark is happy to see and hear his latest musical partnership with Swedish Slide guitar queen Marie Martens. Audiences go to a special corner of vintage blues nirvana when Marie puts down the bass and straps on her open turned electric, and the pair jump into Elmore James-style overdrive. Marie is a veteran of the Stockholm blues scene in the 90s and moved to Wisconsin in the aughts. She released her first CD “Travelled” in 2019. Midwest Record stated, “She is forging her own path… way cool stuff!”.
Johnny and Marie will be joined by Johnny’s long-time road drummer Stephen Dougherty, also based in Wisconsin, who’s worked with Gary Primich, Billy Flynn, and Bryan Lee. He contributed to Johnny’s live Delmark CD/LP featuring Charlie Musselwhite which debuted at #3 on the Living Blues radio chart. HI-RES PHOTO LINK: Link to Johnny Burgin Bio/EpkJohnny Burgin Hi Res PhotosLink to Marie Martens hi res photo.
CONTACT: Johnny Burgin, 630-432-4940, rjohnnyband@gmail.com, www.johnnyburgin.com,
Kevin Johnson, Delmark Records promo@delmark.com 773-539-5001
FULL TOUR ITINERARY: Johnny’s shows page.
YOUTUBE:
Look at this upcoming schedule!
Sept 1 @ RUNAWAY NANOBREWERY, Burlington, WI
Sept 3 @ Marquette Area Blues Festival, Marquette, MI W TAIL DRAGGER
Sept 4 @ Tonic Tavern, Milwaukee WI W TAIL DRAGGER
Sept 8 @ JV’s RESTAURANT, Falls Church VA
Sept 10 @ Birdland Music Store, Virginia Beach
Sept 15 @ MENOTOMY, Arlington, VA
Sept 22 @ Tooky Mills Pub, Hillsboro, NH
Sept 23 @ Cady’s Tavern, Glocester, RI
Sept 25 @ The Stomping Ground, Putnam, CT
Sept 28 @ Stitch Bar and Blues, New York City
Sept 29 @ Ruthie’s BBQ, Montclair, NJ
Sept 30 @ Red Bank Women’s Club, Red Bank, NJ
Oct 1 @Pattenburg House, Asbury, NJ
Oct 2 @ Hank Dietle’s Tavern, Rockville, MD
Oct 7 @ CAROLINA DOWNHOME BLUES FESTIVAL, Camden, SC
Oct 8 @ WILD WING CAFE, Macon, GA
Oct 9 @ LA FAYETTE’S BON TEMPS, Fayetteville, GA
Oct 2 @ HANK DIETLE’S, Rockville, MD (matinee show)
Oct 14 @ KEY CITY BREWING, Vicksburg, MS (solo show)
Oct 13 @ SEITHER’S SEAFOOD, Harahan, LA (solo show)
Oct 16 @ THE BARTONVILLE STORE, Bartonville, TX
Oct 20: @ MARBLE BREWERY DOWNTOWN, Albuquerque, NM
Oct 21 @ Rhythm Room, with Thornetta Davis, Jimi Primetime Smith and Bob Corritore
Oct 23 @ Malainey’s Grill, Long Beach, CA
Oct 24 @ Maui Sugar Mill, Tarzana, CA
Oct 26 @ The Starlet Room, Sacramento, CA
Oct 27 @ The Elephant in the Room, Healdsburg, CA
Oct 28 @ The Saloon, San Francisco, CA
Oct 30 @ Wild Eye Pub, Grass Valley, CA
Nov 1 @ Harrah’s Casino, South Lake Tahoe
Nov 2 @ Club Fox, Redwood City, CA
Nov 4 @ Elks Lodge, Eureka, CA
Nov 5 @ The Heights Casino, Trinidad, CA
Nov 6 @ The Jam, Arcata, CA
Nov 12 @ Conway Muse, Conway WA w Joel Astley
Nov 16 @ 331 CLUB, Minneapolis, with Joel Astley
Nov 17 @ SKOKIE THEATRE, w Ben Levin, Joel Astley and Marie Martens
Nov 26 @Jamey’s House of Music, Lansdowne, PA
Special guest of Slim and the Percolators
Nov 27 @ George’s, St Georges, DE
Special Guest of Slim and the Percolators
Dec 2 @ THE LOFT, Columbus, GA
Dec 3 @ BLIND WILLIES, Atlanta, GA
Dec 4 @ Neighborhood Theatre, Charlotte, NC
UPCOMING SHOWS
Runaway Micropub, Burlington, WI, Solo Show
TIME: 5:30pm. AGE RESTRICTIONS: All Ages. ADDRESS: 109 E Chestnut.
Marquette Area Blues Fest Presents Johny Burgin With Blues Legend Tail Dragger
Marquette Area Blues Festival at Mattson Lower Harbor Park TIME: 6:00pm. ADDRESS: 100-174 N Lakeshore Blvd. Marquette, MI https://marquetteareabluessociety.org/ w Scott Dirks, harp (author of the Little Walter biography)
Tonic Tavern, Milwaukee WI Presents Tail Dragger And Johnny Burgin Showcase
The 3rd Coast Blues Collective Presents CHICAGO BLUES LEGEND TAIL DRAGGER w Johnny Burgin TIME: 2:00pm. AGE RESTRICTIONS: All Ages. ADDRESS: 2335 S Kinnickinick Ave.
JV’s Restaurant TIME: 8:30pm. AGE RESTRICTIONS: All Ages. ADDRESS: 6666 Arlington Blvd. Falls Church, VA
Sep. 10, 2022Virginia Beach, VA
Special in-store duo with drummer Stephen Dougherty 1-2pm
Betsy’s BackYard House Concert
Ft Marie Martens TIME: 6:30pm. ADMISSION: $15. AGE RESTRICTIONS: All Ages. RSVP soundreflect@aol.com for tickets.
Featuring Marie Martens. TIME: 7:00pm. AGE RESTRICTIONS: All Ages. ADDRESS: 25 Massachusetts Ave. Arlington, Mass
Blues For Veterans Blues Festival
Library Park Blues Festival AGE RESTRICTIONS: All Ages. ADDRESS: Library Park, Harrison Ave. Adult admission is $20 Children under 12 FREE
TIME: 7:00pm. AGE RESTRICTIONS: All Ages. ADDRESS: 9 Depot St Hillsborough, NH 03244. Featuring Marie Martens
Ft Marie Martens Chepachet, Rhode Island Cady’s Tavern TIME: 8:00pm. AGE RESTRICTIONS: All Ages.
Theodore’s Blues, Booze, And BBQ
TIME: 1:00pm. AGE RESTRICTIONS: All Ages. ADDRESS: 132 Main St. Putnam, CT
Fr Marie Martens. Stitch Bar and Blues TIME: 7:00pm. AGE RESTRICTIONS: All Ages. ADDRESS: 247 West 37th Street ( 7th & 8th Avenues). New York, NY
TIME: 6:00pm. AGE RESTRICTIONS: All Ages. ADDRESS: 64 1/2 Chestnut St. Montclair, NJ
Reckless Steamy Nights Concert Series At Red Bank Women’s Club
TIME: 8:00pm. AGE RESTRICTIONS: All Ages. ADDRESS: 164 Broad St, Red Bank. Red Bank, NJ Reckless Steamy Nights concert series, benefits the Jersey Shore Blues and Jazz Society
TIME: 8:00pm. AGE RESTRICTIONS: All Ages. ADDRESS: 512 County Road 614. Asbury, NJ
Hank Dietle’s Tavern, Rockville MD, Blues Matinee
2-4 PM ADMISSION: $15. AGE RESTRICTIONS: All Ages. ADDRESS: 11010 Rockville Pike. Ft Marie Martens
Carolina Downhome Blues Festival
VENUE PHONE: 803-425-7676 https://www.fineartscenter.org/22nd-carolina-downhome-blues-festival/
TIME: 9:00pm. AGE RESTRICTIONS: No Minors. ADDRESS: 5080 Riverside Dr, Suite 100. Macon, GA
Duo with Marvelous Marvin AGE RESTRICTIONS: All Ages. ADDRESS: 119 Stonewall Ave E, Fayetteville, GA 30214.
Solo show. AGE RESTRICTIONS: All Ages. ADDRESS: 279 Hickory Ave. Harahan, LA http://www.seithersseafood.com/
Solo show. AGE RESTRICTIONS: All Ages. ADDRESS: 1311 Washington St.Vicksburg, MI
The Bartonville Store & Jeter’s Meat Shop
Duo with Christian Dozzler TIME: 2:00pm. AGE RESTRICTIONS: All Ages. ADDRESS: 96 McMakin Rd. Bartonville, TX
TIME: 7:00pm. AGE RESTRICTIONS: All Ages. ADDRESS: 111 Marble Ave NW. Albuquerque, NM https://marblebrewery.com/taprooms/downtown
ALL-STAR SHOW w Thornetta Davis, Jimi Primetime Smith, Bob Corritore, Bob Stroger, and Wes Starr The Rhythm Room TIME: 7:00pm. ADDRESS: 1019 E Indian School Rd. Phoenix, AZ
TIME: 5:30pm. AGE RESTRICTIONS: All Ages. Malainey’s Grill and One Hell of an Irish Bar ADDRESS: 168 N Marina Dr. Long Beach, CA Presented by Cadillac Zack
TIME: 8:00pm. AGE RESTRICTIONS: All Ages. ADDRESS: Maui Sugar Mill 18389 Ventura Blvd. Tarzana, CA
The Starlet Room TIME: 7:30pm. AGE RESTRICTIONS: All Ages. ADDRESS: 2708 J St, Sacramento, CA 95816.
TIME: 7:00pm. AGE RESTRICTIONS: All Ages. ADDRESS: 177 Healdsburg Ave, Healdsburg, CA 95448.
Oct. 28, 2022San Francisco, CA
TIME: 9:00pm. AGE RESTRICTIONS: All Ages. ADDRESS:The Saloon 1232 Grant St. San Francisco, CA
TIME: 7:00pm. AGE RESTRICTIONS: All Ages. ADDRESS: The Wild Eye Pub 535 Mill St. Grass Valley, CA
Johnny Burgin with Special Guest of The Buddy Emmer Band’s Tuesday Blues Series Harrahs South Lake Tahoe, CA TIME: 8:00pm. AGE RESTRICTIONS: All Ages.
TIME: 6:00pm. ADDRESS: 2209 Broadway St. Redwood City, CA
TIME: 7:30pm. AGE RESTRICTIONS: All Ages. ADDRESS: 445 Herrick Ave, Eureka, CA 95503.
TIME: 8:00pm. AGE RESTRICTIONS: All Ages. ADDRESS: 915 H St. Arcata, CA
Joel Astley Ft Johnny Burgin, CD Release Event At The Conway Muse, Conway, WA
TIME: 8:00pm. AGE RESTRICTIONS: All Ages. ADDRESS: 18444 Spruce St.
Spanish Ballroom At Elks Temple
TIME: 7:30pm. AGE RESTRICTIONS: All Ages. ADDRESS: 565 Broadway. Tacoma, WA Blues Vespers ft Joel Astley
Johnny Burgin – Duo with Joel Astley at 331 Club TIME: 6:00pm. AGE RESTRICTIONS: All Ages. ADDRESS: 331 13th Ave NE. Minneapolis, MN
Johnny Burgin BLUES REVUE Featuring Ben Levin, Joel Astley And Marie Martens At Skokie Theatre
The Skokie Theatre TIME: 7:30pm. AGE RESTRICTIONS: All Ages. ADDRESS: 7924 Lincoln Ave. Skokie, IL Admission $25 Door at 7, Show at 7:30 Sponsored by Chicago Blues Network. With Support by Delmark Records.
Nov. 25, 2022Saint Georges, DE
TIME: 6:00pm. ADDRESS: 1 Delaware St. St Georges, DE
TIME: 8:00pm. ADMISSION: 25$. AGE RESTRICTIONS: All Ages. ADDRESS: 32 S Lansdowne Ave. Lansdowne, PA
Johnny Burgin With Special Guest Of Slim And The Percolators
Johnny Burgin – Special Guest of Slim and the Percolators at Crooked Eye Brewery TIME: 5:00pm. ADDRESS: 13 E Montgomery Ave #2. Hatboro, PA
The Loft TIME: 8:00pm. AGE RESTRICTIONS: All Ages. ADDRESS: 1032 Broadway. Columbus, GA
TIME: 8:00pm. AGE RESTRICTIONS: All Ages. ADDRESS: Blind Willie’s 828 North Highland Avenue Northeast. Atlanta, GA VENUE PHONE: +1 404-873-2583.
TIME: 8:00pm. ADDRESS: 511 E 36th St, Charlotte, NC 28205. Presented by the Charlotte Blues Society
Dec. 18, 2022Virginia Beach, VA
Froggy’s TIME: 6:00pm. AGE RESTRICTIONS: All Ages. ADDRESS: 3656 Shore Dr. Virginia Beach, VA
Johnny Burgin And RJ Mischo Double Bill NYE Bash
TIME: 8:00pm. AGE RESTRICTIONS: All Ages. ADDRESS: 3900 American Blvd W. Bloomington, MN Presented by Paul Barry and Harold Tremblay.
https://delmark.com/artists/johnny-burgin/
BIOGRAPHY
Johnny Burgin grew up in the South and went to University of Chicago with the intention of becoming a writer. When a fellow DJ at the college radio station took him out to a West Side ghetto club to hear the blues singer Tail Dragger, it was a conversion moment. The blues came to life for Johnny and he fell headfirst into the vibrant Chicago blues scene. Choosing the blues clubs over the library, Johnny eagerly absorbed the lessons from the blues masters who practiced their craft nightly. By persistence and practice, Johnny gained a spot in Tail Dragger’s band, and started gigging and recording with traditional blues veterans like Sam Lay, Billy Boy Arnold, and Pinetop Perkins. By the late 90s, Johnny was working regularly in Chicagoland blues clubs under his own name. Johnny started a Monday night residency at The Smoke Daddy in Wicker Park, featuring vocalist Jimmy Burns. The band featured other future blues notables who were also at beginning of their careers, such as Kenny Smith on drums and Martin Lang on harp, and they created quite a buzz. They packed the club every Monday with a younger, hip crowd, as well as blues veterans stopping by to sit in such as Dave Meyers, Jesse Fortune, Barkin’ Bill, etc. Their success led to a record deal with Delmark and the first of several European tours.
The shangri-la of being “King of Division Street” eventually ran its course. In the early aughts, Johnny dropped off the scene entirely to raise a daughter. When the music eventually called Johnny back, his comeback was noted by The Chicago Tribune, Chicago Blues Guide, and the Dutch blues magazine BLOCK. As noted blues producer Dick Shurman wrote, “Johnny’s skills, passion and committment were undiminished.” His move to the Bay Area in 2016 led to a creative burst and his most notable recordings. In a few short years, Johnny cranked out the Cali/Chicago blues mashups Greetings from Greaseland, Neoprene Fedora, the Howlin’ Wolf tribute Howlin’ at Greaseland (nominated for a BMA for Best Traditional Blues Recording) and Johnny Burgin Live, which featured Charlie Musselwhite and was nominated for a Blues Blast Best Live Recording Award for 2019. Throughout, Johnny managed to play 250 dates a year since 2014 in Europe, Japan and coast to coast in the States, right up until the pandemic. By 2022, he’d ramped back up to the same demanding schedule.
Johnny’s produced ten CDs as a leader to his credit and dozens more as a sideman, from veterans like Johnny Sansone, Paul DeLay, Bob Corritore to up and comers like Aki Kumar and Ben Levin. Johnny’s developed from a young guitar slinger and local blues hero to a matured bluesman, fully fledged singer and the confident and engaging bandleader. In recent years, he has been a resident instructor at the Pinetop Perkins Foundation and the Chicago Blues Network and has developed a loyal following on Youtube for his weekly looks at the blues guitar greats. Johnny’s recordings have evolved from being very Chicago-centric, to a fusion of West Coast and Chicago styles, and finally,to a more inclusive, international approach. His latest CD, No Border Blues Japan, is the first American compilation of the underground Japanese blues scene. The success of this collaboration led Johnny and his partner, producer Stephanie Tice, to create and host the podcast No Border Blues, which focuses on the international blues scene.
john muller – north jersey blues society
http://www.northjerseybluessociety.org
the NJBS hopes to be at Johnny’s show at Ruthies in Montclair , NJ on September 29 – the NJBS will also promote the show throughout FB and on the NJBS website – feel free to reach out to the society at any time –
the North Jersey Blues Society would like a few minutes of Johnnys time at Ruthies for a quick interview if possible – we post them onto our website now –
and the NJBS looks forward to working with Delmark now and in the future – thanks for supporting our growing blues society
John Muller – V.P. – Promotions – North Jersey Blues Society / New Jersey