JOHNNY DRUMMER

Rockin’ in the Juke Joint

Earwig Music

by Eric Steiner

I had the good fortune to see Johnny Drummer and the Starliters at a Chicago Blues Festival after-set in 2007 at the Willie Dixon’s Blues Heaven Foundation fundraiser at 2120 South Michigan Avenue. Drummer’s 2006 Earwig release, Rockin’ In the Juke Joint, brings back many pleasant memories from that show.  Rockin’ in the Juke Joint is an exceptional CD of post-war Chicago blues, and the title cut, “You’re Breaking Me Down,”  “Working With Your Mojo,” and “Have Your Fun” are my favorites on this CD.

 Johnny is a regular at Lee’s Unleaded Blues on Chicago’s far South Side (also the title of one of his other two Earwig CDs), and his electronic keyboard complements the spot-on lead guitar work of “Al Guitar” Short nicely.  I’ve never seen a six-foot portable electronic keyboard played like a guitar before checking out Johnny Drummer, but in his capable hands, it more than works.  Thanks in part to tutelage from Junior Wells early in his career, and Johnny's own mastery of the Mississippi saxophone, Johnny plays some pretty mean harp parts on this CD, too.

On Rockin’ in the Juke Joint, Johnny’s got a full band that includes Diane Madison, Theresa Davis and Kay Reed on background vocals on several cuts, and this CD offers a full, rich, big-band sound that’s a solid counterpoint to the smaller, blues trio format that seems to be gaining steam in many national blues markets.   If you're looking for some great South Side Chicago blues action, look no further than www.johnnydrummermusic.com , and pick up Johnny Drummer's CDs at www.earwigmusic.com

Eric Steiner is President of the Washington Blues Society (www.wablues.org) and a Blues Supporter member of The Blues Foundation (www.blues.org).