Album Notes

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