Hey Chicago Blues Fans!

I wanted to let you know about some special shows coming up, including the Delmark CD release party for Shirley Johnson's Blues Attack and Rockin' Johnny's 40th Birthday Party

Friday, Saturday, July 10, 11
SHIRLEY JOHNSON, Blues Attack!

Delmark CD release party for the “Queen of Blue Chicago", Shirley Johnson!

Friday, Saturday, July 10, 11 - Blue Chicago, 736 N. Clark, Chicago

Come out and celebrate the success of Shirley's recent release on Delmark and her first CD in almost a decade.

• Shirley's BLUES ATTACK is currently #1 on the LIVING BLUES radio charts!!

• Shirley Johnson just headlined the first night of the Chicago Blues Fest, Friday Night on the Petrillo Main Stage

• Shirley Johnson is nominated for 2 categories in the 2009 Blues Blast Music Awards! Best Female Artist and Best Traditional Blues Recording for Delmark's Blues Attack!

Shirley had a health scare over the winter and was out of action for a while, but is now healthy and sounding better than ever. We hope you can come out and say hello and congrats to Shirley as she celebrate her first ever CD release party!

August 2009 DOWNBEAT review of Shirley Johnson's Blues Attack (Delmark 798)

*** In a perfect world, Johnson would be headlining blues festivals all over. Formerly employed by Buster Benton, Johnny Christian, and Prof. Eddie Lusk, on her own since the early '90's, this Chicagoan exudes a wise self-containment whether singing Maurice John Vaughn's shuffle “You're Reckless" or taking a soul direction on the Ray Charles classic “Unchain My Heart." She brings formidable interpretative honesty to a salty slow blues about cheating she penned with Vaughn, “You Shouldn't Have Been There." Trumpeter Kenny Anderson and the Chicago Horns' arrangements increase the appeal of five tunes. - Frank-John Hadley

Also, a very special 40th Birthday show for ROCKIN' JOHNNY!! Saturday, July 18, Nick's Beer Garden in Wicker Park, Chicago, 10 pm - with special guests! 1516 N. Milwaukee, 773 252 1155

Come out and celebrate Rockin' Johnny Burgin's B-Day and his return to the blues scene after a 8 year mysterious absence! Johnny plays/sings killer originals, along with obscure and classic blues nuggets from postwar Chicago Blues - including guitar player's guitarists- Bobby King, Bee Houston, Willie James Lyons, Earl Hooker, Fenton Robinson, Eddie Taylor, Luther Tucker, Jimmie Lee Robinson, Hubert Sumlin, Smokey Smothers, Jimmy Dawkins, etc.

Johnny has played with a who's who of the traditional CHicago Blues scene, including Little Arthur Duncan, Tail Dragger, Jimmy Dawkins, Mary Lane, Eddie C. Campbell, Smokey Smothers, Jimmy Burns, Billy Flynn, and many more

ROCKIN JOHNNY RE-EMERGES IN 2009!

We can now rejoice as the young Modern King of the westside blues guitar has finally re-emerged after an 8 year hiatus!

Rockin' Johnny (Burgin) moved to Chicago to attend the University of Chicago in the late 1980's, but began playing blues in all the black clubs in town, backing Taildragger, Big Smokey Smothers and many other characters.

Eventually, Rockin' Johnny and the Lazy Boyz (with the tremendously talented Martin Lange on harp) became basically the modern equivalent of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. Except, in this writer's humble opinion, Johnny was a far more-accomplished west side slinger than Bloomfield. In the 1990's there was no one who worked more, or harder, or played more varied or deeper west side Chicago blues in town.

Throughout the 90's Johnny was a highly in-demand session player (not unlike Robert Jr. Lockwood in his heyday) on some great recordings for Delmark and other labels, as well as being an admired hero to many budding young guitarists on the scene.

Unfortunately, a few years ago he mysteriously vanished from the Windy City and fell into obscurity, one guesses, to raise a family. The gap he left in the blues world still had not been filled.... that is until this past January 2009 when he suddenly re-emerged to re-claim his title as the Modern King of the West Side Chicago Blues Guitar!

New Delmark recordings soon from Zora Young and the debut from Quintus McCormick!

Hope you had a safe and happy Independence Day weekend!

Kevin Johnson
Delmark Records, director of promotions