Album:
It's So Nice
Size: 144,3 MB
Time: 61:54
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1999
Styles: Soul Blues, R&B
Art: Front
01. I Wanna Get In Your Head, Before I Get In Your Bed (4:11)
02. I'm Not Gonna Give You Up (4:35)
03. Knockin' At Your Door (4:45)
04. It's So Nice (5:00)
05. I'll Find A Way (4:05)
06. I Got A Problem In My Home (4:18)
07. Blue Collar Man (3:15)
08. Tag On Your Toe (5:00)
09. I Can't Stand The Rain (4:01)
10. A Woman, A Lover, A Friend (4:00)
11. I Got A Love (4:22)
12. Give Me A Sign (4:49)
13. I'm Trapped (4:39)
14. Dragnet (4:46)
Johnny Drummer was born Thessex Johns, on March 1, 1938 in Alligator, Mississippi, a small town twelve miles south of Clarksdale in the heart of the Delta. There he saw musicians like Little Milton and Ike Turner every weekend, and listened to his three brothers play hollow-box guitars on long summer nights, learning all the blues, R&B, and soul songs of the time. It wasn’t long before he began singing, and at age seven was singing with the Kelly Brothers Band in Alligator.
His career as a musician expanded when he joined the Army and learned to play drums. In his three-year army career he sat in on drums with bands that came around, honing his skills as a musician. Upon leaving the Army in 1959, he moved to Chicago, where he began sitting in with Lovie Lee, Big Walter Horton, and Carey Bell on the street corner near his house. He soon began playing drums in Lovie’s band, and later moved on to play with Eddie King. In 1962 he cut a record for Wonderful Records, which featured Eddie King, Willie Black, Roy Johnson, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith and Otis Spann. In 1965 he got the chance to play with BB King at a club called Lee’s when BB’s drummer neglected to show up for the gig. In 1966 he went to see Muddy Waters, and was asked to sit in on bass. He was later asked to tour with Muddy, but being focused on his career and family, Johnny declined Muddy’s offer, uneasy at the prospect of life on the road.
Upon retiring from the Police Department in 1994, Johnny began to focus heavily on his music career. In recent years he has released two albums for the Earwig Music label, and is in the process of finishing up his third release for them. He now performs internationally at festivals and blues clubs, including acclaimed performances at the Chicago Blues Festival, Pocono Blues Festival, University of Illinois Blues Festival, and several others in the US, Canada, and Europe.
Quotes:
“Drummer has managed a distinctive sound in a sound-alike idiom…” –Living Blues
“Drummer’s suave vocals, front and center, are rich and full of character…” Blues Revue
"This CD is the debut album by Chicago's long-time bandleader, keyboardist and vocalist Johnny Drummer, known for over thirty years for leading one of the tightest small combos in the city. Johnny has long bee4n known for his high-energy shows in small clubs on the South and West Sides of the Windy City. With this album of smooth contemporary soul and blues r&b, Johnny is set to bust out onto the national scene. His knack for catch lyric hooks and funky grooves will please the steppers set and also provide plenty of mood music for lovers. Johnny is joined by Chicago's "Bar Room Preacher" Jimmy Johnson on lead guitar on several cuts.
This soul-packed effort is urban blues, yet it is resoundingly also modern, soulful r&b. Drummer and company have laid down some great music filled with songs of love, romance, and the volatility of those relationships. Good material.clever instrumental mixes and powerful keyboard sounds!" -Big City Blues
It's So Nice
Album:
Unleaded Blues
Size: 144,2 MB
Time: 61:39
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2001
Styles: Chicago Blues, Soul Blues
Art: Front
01. I'm Gonna Sell My Cadillac, Buy Myself A Mule (4:29)
02. Born In The Delta (4:42)
03. I'm Missing You (4:29)
04. Stop Cheating (4:15)
05. How Many Times (3:52)
06. Put Your Suitcase Down (4:27)
07. Anything But Without You (5:45)
08. I Feel So Good (2:56)
09. You Got Trouble (4:28)
10. Serious (4:47)
11. Unleaded Blues (3:56)
12. Fall Out Of Love (4:09)
13. Take Care Of Your Homework (3:53)
14. Somebody Please Give Me A Job (5:24)
Earwig celebrates the multi-talented Johnny Drummer, a Chicago South Side musician who plays and writes “in the key of life,” on his second album for Earwig Music. Johnny is a great vocalist, songwriter under a groove, arranger and bandleader. This new album contains blues, soulful original tunes with a rhythmic groove and a hook, and love ballads.
He is backed by Allan Batts, piano; Dave Jefferson, drums; Felton Crews, bass; Luther “Slim” Adams, guitar; Chuck Kramer, guitar; Anthony Palmer, guitar; and Calvin “Kadakie” Tucker, congas. Special guest vocalists: Liz Mandville Greeson, Bruce Thompson, and Michelle Thompson.
“Johnny Drummer is a keyboardist and, mainly, a sweet-singing blue-soul man. Drummer’s suave vocals are rich and full of character. He’s written a batch of good songs, most of which deal with matters of the heart, and there are some clever touches. The band members are fine players all, backing one of modern-day Chicago’s most compelling singers.” — Blues Revue “
Johnny can rock the house with his own distinctive Chicago style blues: his ballads and duets with other artists are beautiful and sexy. Drummer is a professional and his arrangements for this session really show the guy’s a master. This album is a heavyweight with a whole lot of moves–dig it!” – Twin Cities Blues News
Unleaded Blues