On Axis Music

A Blog by Hannah Frank

Press Release: Sacramento, CA

‘Worldwide West Side Guitar Man’ Johnny Burgin Brings Chicago Blues to Sacramento 5/9/19 as Part of World Tour

Photo by Franky Bruneel

April 30, 2019 — Johnny Burgin earns his name as The Worldwide West Side Guitar Man by performing up to 250 shows a year in Europe, Japan and coast to coast in the US. He will be performing May 9, 2019 at 9:00 PM at The Torch Club at 904 15th St., Sacramento, CA, the city’s premiere blues club. This blues music event is part of Burgin’s worldwide tour to support his latest CD Dos Hombres. He will be joined by Americana artist JW Teller from North Carolina for the first hour.

 

Johnny started his career in the rough and tumble neighborhood blues joints on Chicago’s West Side with Howlin’ Wolf disciple Tail Dragger, and went on to tour with blues legends such as Pinetop Perkins, Sam Lay and Billy Boy Arnold. He’s been praised by the Cascade Blues Association for his “stunning guitar playing– the pure Chicago styled sound”, and his fans love Johnny’s take on the intense, stripped-down “West Side sound” of Otis Rush, Magic Sam and Buddy Guy.  Johnny is a Delmark and Vizztone recording artist with 8 CDs to his credit. He was nominated for a BMA for Best Traditional Blues CD of 2017 for “Howlin’ at Greaseland”, a Howlin’ Wolf tribute.

Johnny Burgin grew up in Starkville MS and Greenville SC,and while he was still in high school, he got to see many touring blues bands such as Guitar Jr, Gatemouth Brown and Eddie Clearwater.  He went to University of Chicago with the intention of becoming a writer, but a different path unfolded and he fell headfirst into the Chicago blues scene. After learning from the masters by touring with such artists as Pinetop Perkins and Howlin’ Wolf drummer Sam Lay, he put his own band together.  Things started happening fast after Johnny took a Monday night residency at the Smoke Daddy in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood– he was signed to Delmark records in 1997 after label founder Bob Koester heard just one set!

Since those days, Johnny played the Chicago blues festival many times, toured Europe and Japan regularly, and has headlined festivals all over the US.  Over the years, he has developed from a precocious blues guitar slinger and local blues hero into a fully fledged singer, harmonica player, a dynamic and engaging bandleader, and a mature, seasoned guitarist.  One look at Johnny’s tour schedule confirms his status as an in-demand blues performer. He puts on the kind of satisfying and exciting show that only years of touring can develop.  Elmoremagazine remarked on Johnny’s “commanding vocals and stinging guitar”, but Elvin Bishop may have said it best: “his guitar style is raw and rude and real—on the vocal side, a nice original style–he’s damn good!”

EPK:  Click here for an artist one sheet, epk and hi-res photos.

Contact: rjohnnyband@gmail.com

Links:

Website: www.johnnyburgin.com

Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/JohnnyBurginII?ref=br_rs

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnnyburgin/