BIOGRAPHY

Johnny Burgin grew up in the South and went to University of Chicago with the intention of becoming a writer.  When a fellow DJ at the college radio station 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 Meyers, 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 GreaselandNeoprene Fedora, the Howlin’ Wolf tribute Howlin’ at Greaseland (nominated for a BMA for Best Traditional Blues Recording) and Johnny Burgin Live, which featured Charlie Musselwhite and was nominated for a Blues Blast Best Live Recording Award for 2019.   Throughout, Johnny managed to play 250 dates a year since 2014 in Europe, Japan and coast to coast in the States, right up until the pandemic.  By 2022, he’d ramped back up to the same demanding schedule.

Johnny’s produced ten CDs as a leader to his credit and dozens more as a sideman, from veterans like Johnny SansonePaul DeLay, Bob Corritore to up and comers like Aki Kumar 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 Network and has developed a loyal following on Youtube 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 latest CD, No Border Blues Japan, is the first American compilation of the underground Japanese blues scene.  The success of this collaboration led Johnny and his partner, producer Stephanie Tice, to create and host the podcast No Border Blues, which focuses on the international blues scene.


“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


–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

 

Johnny Burgin - Coast to Coast Chicago Blues

 

PRESS

Johnny Burgin Brings a Lifetime of Blues to Arcadia; Pasadena Weekly 1.02.20

Listening for That Phrase, Unstarving Musician podcast, Roberto Hernandez, Jan 2020

"I'm Late to the Party, but I'm Coming"; New Hampshire Register 8.24.18

Surf's Up for Rockin' Johnny Burgin, South Bend Tribune, 3.2.17

Playing in a new place every day ‘keeps me going,’ guitarist says
Albuquerque Journal 2.03.17

Rockin' Johnny Burgin is glad to be playing the blues again
Chicago Tribune 6.01.15

TJ WEST: Rockin’ Johnny Burgin
Turnstiled Junkpiled, LA  12.03.14

Rockin' Johnny Burgin: Windy Blues Michael Limnois, Blues In Greece, 10.02.13

The Return of Rockin' Johnny, Chicago Blues Guide, 2010

 

PROMO

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Photo by Alan Kresse
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Photo by Pete Federico
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Photo by Lee Ann Flynn
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Photo by Jeff Griffin
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Photo by Jeff Griffin
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Photo by Jeff Griffin
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photo by Bárbara Sánchez Palomero
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photo by Roberto Dalla Libera
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photo by Franky Bruneel
EPK
Rockin' Johnny Burgin EPK
 

COMPLETE DISCOGRAPHY

  • Johnny Sansone, Into Your Blues, May 2022
  • Mike Bourne Band, Cruisin Kansas City, Blue Heart Records, 2022
  • Tony Holiday: Porch Sessions Volume Two, NOLA Blue, 2021
  • Ilana Katz Katz: In My Mind, 2021
  • Red's Blues:  Broke Down in the Fast Lane, 2020
  • Henry Gray and Bob Corritore Sessions Volume 2: Cold Chills, Vizztone, 2020
  • Various Artists with Johnny Burgin: No Border Blues Japan, Delmark, 2020
  • Liz Mandeville: Playing With Fire, 2020
  • Johnny Burgin  (ft Rae Gordon, Charlie Musselwhite and Nancy Wright): Johnny Burgin Live, Delmark, 2019-- Blues Blast Award Nominee for Best Live Blues Recording of the Year.  Available on Vinyl!
  • Rockin' Johnny and Quique Gomez: Dos Hombres Wanted, 2019, Vizztone
  • Tony Holiday: Porch Sessions, 2019, Vizztone
  • Sugar Brown: It's a Blues World, 2018
  • Aki Kumar: Hindi Man Blues, Little Village Foundation, 2018
  • Bob Corritore: Don't Let the Devil Ride, Vizztone, 2018
  • Mary Lane, Milwaukee Slim, Little Jerry Jones, Mike Mettalia: Chicago/The Blues Legends/Today, West Tone, 2018  :"Chicago/The Blues Legends/Today  is one of the best compilations of current Chicago blues to hit the scene.  What this outstanding album says to blues fans is that the Chicago blues scene continues to  be vital and authentic.  Sam Charters would be proud of this effort."  Tom Mazzolini, KPFA, Berkeley CA.  BUY NOW
  • Various Artists:  Howlin' at Greaseland - a tribute to Howlin' Wolf- West Tone; Sept 2017, nominated for a BMA (Blues Music Award) for Best Traditional Blues CD of 2017 BUY NOW
  • Rockin' Johnny Burgin: Neoprene Fedora - West Tone; 2017 w Kid Andersen, Alabama Mike, Nancy Wright, and Aki Kumar
  • Rockin’ Johnny Burgin: Greetings From Greaseland - West Tone; 2015 w Kid Andersen and Aki Kumar
  • Peter Struijk: Straight Blues- Blueshine Records (Netherlands), 2015
  • Martin Lang: Chicago Harp Sessions - Random Chance; 2015 w Billy Flynn
  • Willie Buck: Cell Phone Man - Delmark; 2013
  • Rockin’ Johnny Band: Grim Reaper -  Delmark; 2012
  • Rockin’ Johnny Band: Now's the Time -  5105 Music; 2010
  • Tail Dragger: Live at Roosters DVD -  Delmark; 2010 ft Jimmy Dawkins
  • Jimmy Lee Robinson: Chicago Jump - Random Chance; 2004
  • Shirley Johnson: Killer Diller - Delmark; 2002
  • The Mighty Blue Kings: Live in the City - 2001
  • Rockin’ Johnny Band: More Real Folk Blues - 2000 ft Eddie Shaw
  • Eddie Taylor Jr.: Worried About My Baby - Wolf; 2000
  • Paul DeLay: DeLay Does Chicago - Evidence; 1999 ft Jimmy Dawkins and Zora Young
  • Little Arthur Duncan: Singin' With the Sun - Delmark; 1999
  • Taildragger: American People - Delmark; 1999 ft Billy Branch
  • Paul Jones, Andre Williams: Rockin After Midnight - St. George; 1998
  • Rockin’ Johnny Band: Man's Temptation - Delmark; 1998
  • Little Arthur Duncan: Rib Tips Live - Random Chance; 1997
  • Rockin’ Johnny Band: Straight Out of Chicago - Delmark; 1997 ft Taildragger, Sam Lay, and Robert Plunkett
  • Blues Before Sunrise: Billy Boy Arnold, Big Wheeler, Jimmy Burns -  Delmark; 1997
  • Jimmy Burns: Leavin' Here Walkin' - Delmark; 1996
  • The Black Lone Ranger: Truth Unmasked -- 1996 45 vinyl
  • Taildragger: Crawlin' King Snake - St. George; 1995
  • Jimmy Lee Robinson: Lonely Traveler - Delmark; 1993
  • Big Wheeler: Wheeler's Bone Orchard - Delmark; 1992
 

Coast to Coast Chicago Blues

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NEWS

BIOGRAPHY

Johnny Burgin grew up in the South and went to University of Chicago with the intention of becoming a writer.  When a fellow DJ at the college radio station 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 Meyers, 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 GreaselandNeoprene Fedora, the Howlin’ Wolf tribute Howlin’ at Greaseland (nominated for a BMA for Best Traditional Blues Recording) and Johnny Burgin Live, which featured Charlie Musselwhite and was nominated for a Blues Blast Best Live Recording Award for 2019.   Throughout, Johnny managed to play 250 dates a year since 2014 in Europe, Japan and coast to coast in the States, right up until the pandemic.  By 2022, he’d ramped back up to the same demanding schedule.

Johnny’s produced ten CDs as a leader to his credit and dozens more as a sideman, from veterans like Johnny SansonePaul DeLay, Bob Corritore to up and comers like Aki Kumar 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 Network and has developed a loyal following on Youtube 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 latest CD, No Border Blues Japan, is the first American compilation of the underground Japanese blues scene.  The success of this collaboration led Johnny and his partner, producer Stephanie Tice, to create and host the podcast No Border Blues, which focuses on the international blues scene.


“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


–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