Mon June 1
Johnny Burgin’s Blues Summit featuring Billy Flynn, Aki Kumar and Noah Wotherspoon to kickoff CHICAGO BLUES FEST week!!
| Start | Doors: 7:00PM |
Johnny Burgin‘s Blues Summit featuring Billy Flynn, Aki Kumar and Noah Wotherspoon
Johnny Burgin grew up in Starkville, Mississippi and went to University of Chicago at 18, but ended up attending blues university in Chicago’s blues clubs for the following two decades. Since the early 90s Johnny has toured and recorded with blues legends such as Pinetop Perkins, Sam Lay, Tail Dragger and Billy Boy Arnold. Johnny’s a 23 BMA Nominee for Best Traditional Blues Artist. Johnny’s also a noted blues guitar teacher who leads the annual Chicago Blues Guitar Workshop and is well known for his weekly YouTube guitar lesson videos. He’s on the road most of the year worldwide, so this is a special Chicago homecoming!
Billy Flynn is familiar to Chicago area fans from his many appearances at SPACE and at The Chicago Blues Festival with The Cash Box Kings, Kim Wilson, Mark Hummel, The Legendary Blues Band, and too many more to name. His several Delmark releases have received much acclaim, and he won a Grammy for his work on the Cadillac Records soundtrack. He’s been praised by Blues Blast magazine as a truly a renaissance blues man… one of the best at his craft.
Aki Kumar left his native home in Mumbai, India for the United States with the intention of working as a software engineer. Then he discovered the sounds of the blues, and his life changed dramatically. Aki started a blues jam near his base in San Jose CA, and gradually transformed himself into masterful harmonica player, soulful vocalist, band-leader, drummer and producer. By 2016, he began singing in Hindi and infusing blues with the vibrant songs of his Indian heritage, earning the title King of Bollywood Blues from the San Jose Mercury News. With undeniable stage presence, Kumar brings a fresh perspective to the blues scene.
By the age of 15, guitarist, singer, and songwriter Noah Wotherspoon was fronting his first band around his hometown of Dayton, Ohio. Within a year’s time, they performed at The Chicago Blues Festival, where they would continue to appear for the next 8 years. These appearances led to his recording debut on APO records, Buzz Me, featuring Howlin Wolf guitarist Hubert Sumlin. Noah’s music can veer from traditional Chicago slide guitar into bluegrass and psychedelic flavors. Always eclectic in and out of music, Noah is currently crafting a multi-media art project on the Jewish vaudeville comedian Ish Kabibble and directing a movie about another famous Dayton OH resident, the clairvoyant Edgar Cayce. One thing is certain, Noah the child prodigy has matured into an intriguing and intelligent musician, on a path all his own.
All of these performers are teaching this week at The Chicago Blues Guitar Workshop, along with a veteran Chicago rhythm section of bassist Yoshimi Hirata and drummer Marty Binder. Expect a great show!
Get tix here
https://www.ticketweb.com/event/johnny-burgins-blues-summit-featuring-space-tickets/14178264
BIOGRAPHY
Johnny’s known as road warrior who’s on tour close to 200 nights a year across the States, in Mexico and Europe. But if you’d told him this would be his career when he was in High School, he wouldn’t have belived you. Johnny grew up in Misssissippi and South Carolina and went to University of Chicago with the intention of becoming a writer. When a friend 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 Myers, 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 blues legend Charlie Musselwhite and was nominated for a Blues Blast Best Live Recording Award for 2019. Johnny had always done road work, but during this time, he grew into the role of the constantly touring road warrior he’s known as today.
Johnny’s produced eleven CDs as a leader to his credit and dozens more as a sideman. He’s recorded with veterans like Johnny Sansone, Paul DeLay, Bob Corritore, and Jimmy Burns as well as up and comers like Aki Kumar, Joel Astley, 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 Guitar Workshop and has developed a loyal following on YouTube channel 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 CD No Border Blues Japan is the first American compilation of the underground Japanese blues scene. His latest CD, “Ramblin’ From Coast to Coast”, has made several Best-Of-’24 lists and received a Blues Blast nomination for Best Traditional Blues CD.
“His guitar style is raw and rude and real– on the vocal side, a nice original style– he’s damn good!” –Elvin Bishop
An adventurous musician who’s never shy about taking chances.
–Marty Gunther, Blues Blast
This veteran blues musician has been on a roll of late turning out one exceptional album after another.
–David Mac, Blues Junction
The well-traveled and prolific Chicago bluesman.. brings something different each time he issues a solo album.
–Jim Hynes, Glide Magazine
Johnny’s ego-free dedication to the music is refreshing. In a world where everyone wants to be a superstar, Johnny shines brightly. He is truly an old-school bluesman.
–Bill Wilson, Reflections in Blue
Take a look at Johnny’s busy touring schedule!
MAY 12 @ P.I. Lounge, Rochester, NY
MAY 14 @ Shelter Harbor Inn, Westerly, RI
MAY 16 @ The Stomping Ground, Putnam, CT
MAY 17 @ The Beehive, Cambridge, MA
MAY 18 @ Park St. Grill, Rockland, ME
MAY 19 @ The Corrib, Brighton, MA
MAY 20 @ Pub on Park, Cranston, RI
MAY 21 @ Brick House, Milford, NH
MAY 22 @ Theodore’s, Springfield, MA
MAY 23 @ Black Eyed Sally’s, Hartford, CT
MAY 24 @ Cady’s, Chepatchet, RI
MAY 26 @ Nic-a-Nee’s, Providence, RI
MAY 28 @ Donnelly’s, Thorold, ON
MAY 30 @ Rockfield Music and Media, Germantown, WI ft Aki Kumar
JUNE 1 @ SPACE ft Noah Wotherspoon, Aki Kumar, Billy Flynn
JUNE 18 @ Spirit of 66, Verviers, Belgium
