Jimmy Johnson
The real Chicago blues is something you hear about but rarely experience anymore. A packed crowd at Mayfair’s Lakeside Meadows saw Jimmy Johnson deliver the genuine article last Friday night. Johnson, sounding and looking at least twenty years younger than his age of seventy-five, made the familiar 12-bar style from the Windy City fresh and vibrant.
Johnson’s style has him trading off his high-pitched, powerful vocals with quick, string-bending guitar runs. Most of his songs were his own compositions, with a few exceptions like the opening “Born Under a Bad Sign.” His show was over an hour, not including a short opening set by his band.
Johnson’s band was a strange, but effective, cross between a blues band and a rock power trio. Guitarist Chico Banks is a recording artist and bandleader under his own name. He is based in Jimi Hendrix as well as the blues, with his use of lightning fast runs and wah-wah pedal.
Bassist Jesse “Slim” Cross played his bass like a lead instrument, unusual in the blues. He and Big Ray on drums provided a dense, propulsive sound behind Johnson’s expressive playing and singing.
At one point Johnson said, “If you are born looking like me, you have one strike against you.” This led to a heartfelt plea for young people to get an education and avoid drugs, saying that these strikes cannot be overcome.
Tad Robinson opened with an hour of soul blues. His well developed falsetto was featured as he vocally swooped through his songs, many from his latest CD “Did You Ever Wonder?” (Severn 2004). The animated singer also played harp on a few numbers.
Alex Schultz led Robinson’s band that also included keyboards, bass, and drums, using a number of different guitar styles that complemented the musical stories.
--Dave Howell, 5/04
(This article first appeared in The Morning Call newspaper.)
Johnson’s style has him trading off his high-pitched, powerful vocals with quick, string-bending guitar runs. Most of his songs were his own compositions, with a few exceptions like the opening “Born Under a Bad Sign.” His show was over an hour, not including a short opening set by his band.
Johnson’s band was a strange, but effective, cross between a blues band and a rock power trio. Guitarist Chico Banks is a recording artist and bandleader under his own name. He is based in Jimi Hendrix as well as the blues, with his use of lightning fast runs and wah-wah pedal.
Bassist Jesse “Slim” Cross played his bass like a lead instrument, unusual in the blues. He and Big Ray on drums provided a dense, propulsive sound behind Johnson’s expressive playing and singing.
At one point Johnson said, “If you are born looking like me, you have one strike against you.” This led to a heartfelt plea for young people to get an education and avoid drugs, saying that these strikes cannot be overcome.
Tad Robinson opened with an hour of soul blues. His well developed falsetto was featured as he vocally swooped through his songs, many from his latest CD “Did You Ever Wonder?” (Severn 2004). The animated singer also played harp on a few numbers.
Alex Schultz led Robinson’s band that also included keyboards, bass, and drums, using a number of different guitar styles that complemented the musical stories.
--Dave Howell, 5/04
(This article first appeared in The Morning Call newspaper.)