“His guitar style is raw and rude and real – on the vocal side, a nice original style– he’s damn good!” –Elvin Bishop
“I’m knocked out! I already liked what you were doing, but you’ve really moved WAY up. What did you do, go to the crossroads or something?” –Charlie Musselwhite
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
The well-traveled and prolific Chicago bluesman.. brings something different each time he issues a solo album.
–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
Blues guitarist and singer Johnny Burgin now hangs his hat in Memphis, and he grew up in Starkville, Mississippi. He went to University of Chicago at 18, but ended up attending “blues university” for the following two decades. Apprenticing in the North Side and West Side clubs of Chicago, he seized the opportunity to learn, tour and record with Chicago blues legends like Pinetop Perkins, Tail Dragger, Sam Lay and Billy Boy Arnold.
As the years and his own recordings passed, Johnny broadened his Chicago base to live in the Bay Area and New Orleans, collaborating with Charlie Musselwhite (who’s on Johnny’s Live Delmark LP) and Johnny Sansone. Now Johnny is a tireless road warrior, performing close to 200 nights a year across the US, Mexico, Europe and Japan.
Amazingly, he finds time to teach two workshops that draw internationally, The Pinetop Perkins Foundation Workshop in Clarksdale MS and his own Chicago Blues Guitar Workshop in Chicago, and to post weekly guitar lesson videos for a devoted and growing YouTube following.
Critics and fans appreciate his focus on the traditional blues he learned, as well as his original songs: Johnny’s a ’24 Blues Blast Award Nominee and ’23 BMA Nominee for Best Traditional Blues Artist. Johnny’s received many great reviews for his latest release, here’s an appropriate clip for this artist who’s always on the move: Hot Wax Album Reviews: “With stinging guitar and luxurious grooves, Ramblin’ From Coast To Coast is like the best ever soundtrack for an epic road trip.”
