Lightnin' Joe

about

I grew up on the "South Side" of Chicago Illinois listening to Junior Wells, Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters, James Cotton, John Lee Hooker, Lightnin' Hopkins, Little Walter, John Mayall, Sonny Boy Williamson, Jimmy Reed, to name a few. It's been said before that "you have to have the blues to play the blues". No other music reaches into the heart and soul of the player like the blues. Like Junior Wells once told me, "slow down boy, you got to feel the blues"!! It made sense and I hope you will feel it in my music. I picked up my first harmonica at about the age of twelve. I would play along with my old records and try to pick up a few licks. It wasn't hard for me and with some practice I was playing in clubs by the time I was seventeen. I came from a musical family and took piano, sax and drum lessons but I never stuck with it long. The harp came easy for me and I could take it anywhere, always ready to sit in with people. I played on my first record (a 45') in 1983 with a rock band called, The Queen Annes. By now I had moved to Pacific Northwest and trying to adjust. Moving from the city to the woods was a bit of a culture shock for me but I found music to be a good escape. I found my way to the clubs of Pioneer Square in Seattle, where I began sitting in with bands. I became accustomed to get into a good groove with just about any "live" band. I played with a few regularly but never got my own Blues band together. I also played on a few local CDs, for examp

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Sweet As Honey Pie

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