BIG JACK JOHNSON

Monday , January 18, 1999
12:00 am
Location: Elderly Instruments
in-store performance (free)

Guitarist and vocalist Big Jack Johnson has been playing the blues for over 40 years. A native of Lambert Mississippi, Johnson first gained notoriety with the band the Jelly Roll Kings. Johnson's musicianship is so renowned he has performed by invitation with Sonny Boy Williamson, Jimmy Reed, Robert Nighthawk and Carl Perkins, to name a few. At 5:30 p.m. Monday, December 7, Johnson will play a free, in-store performance at Elderly Instruments, 1100 N. Washington in Lansing, MI. Later that evening, Johnson and his band, the Oilers, will play at the Green Door, at 2005 E. Michigan Ave. in Lansing. Johnson and the Oilers have just released their latest CD on MC records. "All The Way Back" features the legendary rhythms and intensity of the Delta. As one reviewer noted: "A Johnson concert ain't a pretty thing. It's a sweaty, noisy, primal release. "All The Way Back" comes pretty damned close to recreating that experience." Johnson explodes in 10 all-original tunes that careen from heavy-duty shuffles to gritty danceable funk to mean-spirited electric hollers straight from the gut of the Delta. Little Anthony Geraci of Ronnie Earl and The Broadcasters guest stars on acoustic piano and organ. Blues Access magazine declares, "Anyone who hasn't discovered Big Jack Johnson yet has a big, gaping hole in their blues experience.. All The Way Back is a sure fire remedy." In 1997 Johnson racked up an impressive array of award nominations: two W.C. Handy nominations (Song of the Year and Best Male Contemporary Artist); three Living Blues nominations (he won for Song of the Year); and a NAIRD nomination for Blues Record of the Year. The accolades continued this year with Johnson's W.C Handy nomination for Best Blues Guitarist. Over the past 18 months, Johnson has appeared on the covers of Real Blues, Blues Speak and Living Blues. Big Jack Johnson and the Oilers have performed over 300 shows a year worldwide, a testament to the band's fiery intensity and crowd-pleasing live shows.

Check out recordings we carry featuring Big Jack Johnson & the Oilers