BLUES BLAST MAGAZINE - CD and DVD review
"Groove" CD and "The Junkman's Son" DVD
By Steve Jones
Johnny Childs’ is a driven man. He is driven by his aspirations but also by his demons. While I am certainly not a psychologist, I have managed people at a variety of levels for close to 40 years and have lived in over a dozen places. His energy and focus on becoming a successful bluesman is phenomenal; some would call it obsessive. This new CD and biographical DVD sheds much on his moxie, mojo, and motivation.
Let me start by giving you a little biography based on what I have learned. Johnny was born Yonah Krohn into a strict orthodox Jewish family where the expectation was all the males would commit themselves to their religion. Born in Brooklyn, NY, the orthodox community there at that time was mostly ghetto based. His father was strict but also later found out to have enormous problems, including being bi-polar and having alcohol problems. The family moved to Toronto where Johnny spent most of his youth. The Dad and family at various points spent time in Jerusalem, too. Johnny rebelled at 12 and moved out to the streets, embracing drugs and sex. He came in and out of his family’s life, settled into Miami, San Francisco and Los Angeles to embark on a career as a blue guitar player and singer, something he picked up quite adeptly on in his life of rebellion. He set a goal to have a recording contract by the time he was 30, and the video culminates with his 30th birthday and (spoiler alert) he didn’t make it.
There is a lot of interesting stuff in the DVD. Filmed by a number of friends, family and strangers, it shows the mental and economic hardships Johnny endured to find himself, support a drug addict brother, and deal with his family and religion. I grew up in NYC in a Roman Catholic, Italian-American family and I fully understand the concept of guilt. There is one group of people who are better than the Italians at this game of guilt, and it is the Jewish community. The orthodox members of the community place their religion above all others and accept no alternative. Many of my friends including my very best one in High School were Jewish, and I encountered much of this first hand. He and I laughed over the comparators for his family and mine. In Johnny’ case, the family was supportive of him, but all felt his redemption would come when he return to orthodoxy. Johnny embraced his Jewish-ness but rebelled. He would return to family over and over and continues to for weddings and other events. One can see he feels comfortable in his family setting but one can feel the strains as he also wants to be part of the gentile community and achieve his own dreams.
What results here is an interesting and raw musicianship that is fully a part of the blues. Like Klezmer music is to jazz, Johnny’s blues is to the “mainstream” of blues (if there can be said to be such a thing. Childs’ guitar play is raw and minimalistic, in a JB Hutto/Little Ed/Dave Weld sort of way. There is a hesitation at times, with spacing to the notes and a raw and angry tone that emerges from the guitar. I love it. It is cool, almost subliminally pre-historic. At times he wants to blow it all up and yet he pulls it back in with some restraint. It is quite an interesting and fun listen!
Johnny was criticized for his vocals early on in his quest, with some producers and labels wanting him to sign on a lead singer. He refused; he was not looking to be some slick proto-80’s rocker. His vocals are fine for the blues; I think his big mistake was trying to do this out West. Not to criticize the West Coast blues scene at all, but it is a different scene. It embraces the slick and fast lane. Johnny’s vocals in Chicago, Memphis, or New Orleans would have been right up their alleys. But on the West Coast? No way. They want Robert Cray, not Robert Johnson. I like his vocals. The same angst is evident with his voice as in his guitar, with occasional hints of a Yiddish accent. He even has some songs like “Junkman’s Son” where he embraces traditional Jewish traditional dance music and adapts it to the blues. It is quite clever and what got me thinking about this being a blues parallel to Klezmer music.
Child’s last ditched effort to get a contract by his 30th birthday included a performance where he invited several labels to come out. One of the attendees was HighTone’s Bruce Bromberg. Bruce moved to LA from Chicago in 1958 and is one of the stalwarts of the West Coast blues scene. While he was impressed with Child’s, it was not until about 5 years later that he signed Childs on. Shortly thereafter he sold HighTone, but his support of Childs appears to continue as he was the producer for this 2011 CD release. Johnny’s latest obsession is winning a W.C. Handy/Blues Music Award. Given his drive and intestinal fortitude along with his talents I do not hold that outside the realm of possibility.
The DVD is cinema verite; this is not a slick Hollywood production. Street-smart, guttural, it is life at its’ best and, more often, worst. While troubling at times, one can also regale with Johnny’s drive and progress. The CD is a great accompaniment as it shows the level of playing Childs’ is at. He’s a darn good guitar player, songwriter and singer. While the world may not “need” another one of those, Childs certainly has been another very good musician in all facets of music.
On the CD with Childs are Cliff Schmitt on bass, Michael Bram on drums and Dave Keys on what else?- keyboards. It ranges in style from down home and dirty Chicago blues to rockabilly and slicker stuff. He is a throwback to the blues as it was in the 50’s and 60’s, a very good thing in my mind because he sells his sound and talents quite well. I’m sold- this is one helluva bluesman and I recommend the CD highly and the DVD is an interesting account of how life’s pages can turn!
Let me start by giving you a little biography based on what I have learned. Johnny was born Yonah Krohn into a strict orthodox Jewish family where the expectation was all the males would commit themselves to their religion. Born in Brooklyn, NY, the orthodox community there at that time was mostly ghetto based. His father was strict but also later found out to have enormous problems, including being bi-polar and having alcohol problems. The family moved to Toronto where Johnny spent most of his youth. The Dad and family at various points spent time in Jerusalem, too. Johnny rebelled at 12 and moved out to the streets, embracing drugs and sex. He came in and out of his family’s life, settled into Miami, San Francisco and Los Angeles to embark on a career as a blue guitar player and singer, something he picked up quite adeptly on in his life of rebellion. He set a goal to have a recording contract by the time he was 30, and the video culminates with his 30th birthday and (spoiler alert) he didn’t make it.
There is a lot of interesting stuff in the DVD. Filmed by a number of friends, family and strangers, it shows the mental and economic hardships Johnny endured to find himself, support a drug addict brother, and deal with his family and religion. I grew up in NYC in a Roman Catholic, Italian-American family and I fully understand the concept of guilt. There is one group of people who are better than the Italians at this game of guilt, and it is the Jewish community. The orthodox members of the community place their religion above all others and accept no alternative. Many of my friends including my very best one in High School were Jewish, and I encountered much of this first hand. He and I laughed over the comparators for his family and mine. In Johnny’ case, the family was supportive of him, but all felt his redemption would come when he return to orthodoxy. Johnny embraced his Jewish-ness but rebelled. He would return to family over and over and continues to for weddings and other events. One can see he feels comfortable in his family setting but one can feel the strains as he also wants to be part of the gentile community and achieve his own dreams.
What results here is an interesting and raw musicianship that is fully a part of the blues. Like Klezmer music is to jazz, Johnny’s blues is to the “mainstream” of blues (if there can be said to be such a thing. Childs’ guitar play is raw and minimalistic, in a JB Hutto/Little Ed/Dave Weld sort of way. There is a hesitation at times, with spacing to the notes and a raw and angry tone that emerges from the guitar. I love it. It is cool, almost subliminally pre-historic. At times he wants to blow it all up and yet he pulls it back in with some restraint. It is quite an interesting and fun listen!
Johnny was criticized for his vocals early on in his quest, with some producers and labels wanting him to sign on a lead singer. He refused; he was not looking to be some slick proto-80’s rocker. His vocals are fine for the blues; I think his big mistake was trying to do this out West. Not to criticize the West Coast blues scene at all, but it is a different scene. It embraces the slick and fast lane. Johnny’s vocals in Chicago, Memphis, or New Orleans would have been right up their alleys. But on the West Coast? No way. They want Robert Cray, not Robert Johnson. I like his vocals. The same angst is evident with his voice as in his guitar, with occasional hints of a Yiddish accent. He even has some songs like “Junkman’s Son” where he embraces traditional Jewish traditional dance music and adapts it to the blues. It is quite clever and what got me thinking about this being a blues parallel to Klezmer music.
Child’s last ditched effort to get a contract by his 30th birthday included a performance where he invited several labels to come out. One of the attendees was HighTone’s Bruce Bromberg. Bruce moved to LA from Chicago in 1958 and is one of the stalwarts of the West Coast blues scene. While he was impressed with Child’s, it was not until about 5 years later that he signed Childs on. Shortly thereafter he sold HighTone, but his support of Childs appears to continue as he was the producer for this 2011 CD release. Johnny’s latest obsession is winning a W.C. Handy/Blues Music Award. Given his drive and intestinal fortitude along with his talents I do not hold that outside the realm of possibility.
The DVD is cinema verite; this is not a slick Hollywood production. Street-smart, guttural, it is life at its’ best and, more often, worst. While troubling at times, one can also regale with Johnny’s drive and progress. The CD is a great accompaniment as it shows the level of playing Childs’ is at. He’s a darn good guitar player, songwriter and singer. While the world may not “need” another one of those, Childs certainly has been another very good musician in all facets of music.
On the CD with Childs are Cliff Schmitt on bass, Michael Bram on drums and Dave Keys on what else?- keyboards. It ranges in style from down home and dirty Chicago blues to rockabilly and slicker stuff. He is a throwback to the blues as it was in the 50’s and 60’s, a very good thing in my mind because he sells his sound and talents quite well. I’m sold- this is one helluva bluesman and I recommend the CD highly and the DVD is an interesting account of how life’s pages can turn!
BARRELHOUSE BLUES - CD Review
Groove CD - Johnny Childs
This CD is totally refreshing! Simple instrumentation and production coupled with Johnny Childs unique phrasing are a winning combination. Seldom have we heard an artist so firmly rooted in the genre yet so riding on the edge of inventive and creative twists within. Songs like "Don't Quit The Man" explode with energy and swing relentlessly - and all the while Johnny's phrasing explores undiscovered sonic and rhythmic terrain. Riffs like that on "I'm A Ram" burrow into your consciousness and won't let go - but oh, so tasty! For tone, touch, technique and fun factor, dial in this CD and your entertainment and listening pleasure is assured. Highly recommended.
Bob Kisielius - Barrelhouse Blues.com
This CD is totally refreshing! Simple instrumentation and production coupled with Johnny Childs unique phrasing are a winning combination. Seldom have we heard an artist so firmly rooted in the genre yet so riding on the edge of inventive and creative twists within. Songs like "Don't Quit The Man" explode with energy and swing relentlessly - and all the while Johnny's phrasing explores undiscovered sonic and rhythmic terrain. Riffs like that on "I'm A Ram" burrow into your consciousness and won't let go - but oh, so tasty! For tone, touch, technique and fun factor, dial in this CD and your entertainment and listening pleasure is assured. Highly recommended.
Bob Kisielius - Barrelhouse Blues.com
AMERICAN BLUES NEWS - CD Review by J.Blake
Johnny Childs gives fans something to GROOVE to.
(New York, NY)
What makes for a great bluesman? What is that special formula; the blend of factors that elevates the average blues player to above average greatness? Is it talent? Is it soul? What about life experience, hunger and determination? The fact of the matter is that a combination of any of these qualities has the ability to result in some fine blues music, but what about those rare occasions when all of these qualities come together in one artist? Well, if you’re looking for a contemporary example, you need not look any further than Johnny Childs.
Childs spent almost a decade making a fascinating documentary that chronicled his life and his struggle to obtain a record deal. It is called THE JUNKMAN’S SON and The American Blues News had the great fortune of reviewing an early cut of it last year, when it was titled BLUES BEFORE SUNRISE. The film gives viewers an inside look at the trials and tribulations of a determined blues artist trying to “make it” in the unforgiving world of the music business as well as presents a life-story that needs to be seen to be believed.
Anyone that watches THE JUNKMAN’S SON will undoubtedly agree that Childs has life experience, hunger and determination to spar, but what about talent and soul? Thankfully, he has a new album that proves once again that he has those as well. It is titled GROOVE and it is his first studio effort since 2005’s self-titled JOHNNY CHILDS. For it, he enlisted the help of Grammy Award winning producer Bruce Bromberg as well as a talented backing band that included bassist Cliff Schmitt, drummer Michael Bram and piantist/organist Dave Keys.
As a writer, Childs is more than adequate, but his real talents lie in his refreshingly unique, energetic and (at times) unorthodox style of guitar playing as well as his smooth/velvety vocals; a voice that could sound equally at ease crooning a standard from the American songbook, as it does pelting out a classically soulful blues lyric.
In addition, with his unique musical style, Childs is an artist that manages to avoid getting lost in the trap of blues cliché. He is one of those great contemporary blues talents that is able to pay tribute to the familiar conventions of the genre without being inhibited by them. He can shred over a 12-bar with the best of them, but is not afraid to explore newer (yet still familiar) territory…. and ultimately make the blues his own.
At 65+ minutes and 14 tracks, GROOVE runs a little longer than your average release and it seems to make a substantial effort not to pigeonhole itself as one kind of album. It explores many different facets of electric blues, which can sometimes be a dangerous venture for an artist. Often such albums can feel unfocused and scattered, but in the case of GROOVE, the concept works. Rather than having an air of uncertainty, the album feels like it has a very definite goal to explore the different sides of Johnny Childs and it manages to steer clear of being yet another thrown together hodgepodge of tired blues riffs. From Chicago blues and Texas swing to blues-rock, R&B and even traditional Jewish rhythms, GROOVE paints a picture of an interesting, complex and talented artist.
Unfortunately, like many smaller non-mainstream blues albums, GROOVE’s production values are slightly unpolished. Childs’ talent does manage to shine through, but while listening, one can only wonder how great this album could’ve been had a little more time andmoney at his disposal. It is not a poor sounding album by any stretch of the imagination, but with his talent, Childs deserves a little more attention and a little more nurturing from the industry… and quite frankly, it is a shame he doesn’t get it.
All in all, GROOVE is a very enjoyable album that is full of both, an abundance of tastefully executed guitar-work and fun compositions. It is definitely worth checking out.
THE BLUES REPORT - CD Review - Johnny Childs "Groove".
"A life story that needs to be seen to be believed", is what one reviewer of Johnny Childs latest release, has said about this, not only exceptional, but also very unique talent. That part of the review was in reference to a documentary movie that Johnny Childs produced called "The Junkman's Son", which was originally titled, "Blues Before Sunrise". This movie shows the amazing never give up, despite what life throws at you attitude, that Johnny Childs has molded around his love of the blues and his willingness to take the blues beyond it's conventional borders, with the end product of his most recent journey being his great new Album, which he simply named "Groove".
Produced by Grammy Award Winner Bruce Bromberg, "Groove" consists of 14 new tracks amounting to an amazing 65+ minutes of Johnny Childs at his very best. Joining Johnny on this Album are Cliff Schmitt (Bass), Michael Bram (Drums), and Dave Keyes (Piano/Organ).
Johnny Childs certainly has his own guitar style, which may seem eccentric and experimental to some, but it cannot be denied that it certainly is unique and refreshing to listen to, and it is certainly one that carves through many blues styles, leaving them raw and exposed while at the same time giving us a little something different and new, to ponder on and be thankful for.
From straight ahead Chicago Style Blues, to Boogie, and all styles in between and beyond, Johnny Childs approaches his craft like he's driving a fast car and when it is caught behind slow traffic, he simply punches the gas and leaves all the so called wannabes in the dust. The only real difference is that Johnny is not travelling down a traditional highway, he is travelling down a Blues Highway and he is not about to keep in his own lane all the time.
Johnny Childs has been playing the Blues for quite awhile now, but don't make the mistake of thinking of him as anything other than the new kid on the block, that has shown up with a shiny new guitar and the talent to play it in a way that leaves many veterans of the Blues scratching their heads in bewilderment of this exceptional talent. "Groove", shows off that talent for all of us to witness and in doing so we cannot help but be drawn into a new landscape of the blues painted by a true one of a kind Artist.
"Groove" is quite simply yet another ground breaking chapter in the life of Johnny Childs, one in which he could of easily gotten his name, more than once, in the dictionary under the heading of Perseverance, and it is that drive which continues to allow him to stand up to the best out there and more than hold his own.
From the opening Guitar Driven Track, "Black Bag Blues", to the equally good closing Guitar Driven Track, "See The Light", this Album will certainly get you in the "Groove".
Highly Recommended and Thoroughly Enjoyed...
Review by John Vermilyea (Blues Underground Network)
AMERICAN BLUES BLOG
GROOVE - JOHNNY CHILDS
The album is called Groove and a groove it has. This cd I have to admit is like nothing I have ever heard. It has it all...quirky lyrics, unconventional delivery, experimental soloing, interesting use of effects with a traditional structure. The title track has a very ethnic sound and was even gutsy for a concept first cd.
The guitar playing contrasted from precise and tasty to almost spastic... which isn't necessarily bad. The standout track for me was Thumbs Boogie, a tight instrumental.
The album is called Groove and a groove it has. This cd I have to admit is like nothing I have ever heard. It has it all...quirky lyrics, unconventional delivery, experimental soloing, interesting use of effects with a traditional structure. The title track has a very ethnic sound and was even gutsy for a concept first cd.
The guitar playing contrasted from precise and tasty to almost spastic... which isn't necessarily bad. The standout track for me was Thumbs Boogie, a tight instrumental.
CROSSROADS BLUES SOCIETY of Northern Illinois
"Groove" CD - reviewed by Rick Davis
Combine extreme talent, perseverance, the drive to land a record deal, a love for the blues and you have captured the persona of the solid bluesman, Johnny Childs. "Groove" Child's long awaited cd runs the gamut from Chicago blues style music to R&B influenced tunes. Joining Childs to round out his blues band are Cliff Schmitt on bass, drummer Michael Bram and piantist/organist Dave Keys. "Groove" combines a traditional style of blues music with Johnny's own experimental style of blues guitar. His unique vocal style and expert guitar skills sets the stage for a full length cd produced by Grammy Award winning producer Bruce Bromberg. The CD opens with "Black Bag Blues", capturing his listeners early with his hard driving guitar style. "Walk the Floor" is a slower blues number with Childs further displaying his skills as a veteran blues guitar slinger. His captivating boogie style guitar rocks with "Don't Quit the Man". He completely breaks tradition with the gypsy style tune "Junkman's Son" dedicated to his fascinating documentary film that chronicled his life and his struggle to obtain a record deal called The Junkman's Son. He continues with a 60's rock-blues style number titled "Back In the Middle". Then he once again returns to a more traditional, slower blues cut "Leaving In the Morning". His use of the wah pedal brings back shades of the 60's group Cream in "Find My Baby". The cd continues with his return to a Chuck Berry boogie guitar style heard in "Thumbs Boogie" and "Chromatic Boogie".
"I'm a Ram" introduces a horn arrangement, bringing yet another element to this unique collection of the blues. "Don't Leave Me Baby" in my opinion showcases Johnny's guitar style and vocals in this new cd filled with variety. The cd wraps up with "Roll Away the Stone" and a less traditional blues number "Fairwell My Love" on which he tears up the fretboard. "Groove" concludes with a famed Jeff Healy number "See the Light" Johnny Childs style. Blues followers will soon come to recognize this well hidden Southern California blues secret after listening to the Johnny Childs blues cd "Groove". His vocals have been compared somewhat to Tom Waits but he has a guitar style all his own!
Combine extreme talent, perseverance, the drive to land a record deal, a love for the blues and you have captured the persona of the solid bluesman, Johnny Childs. "Groove" Child's long awaited cd runs the gamut from Chicago blues style music to R&B influenced tunes. Joining Childs to round out his blues band are Cliff Schmitt on bass, drummer Michael Bram and piantist/organist Dave Keys. "Groove" combines a traditional style of blues music with Johnny's own experimental style of blues guitar. His unique vocal style and expert guitar skills sets the stage for a full length cd produced by Grammy Award winning producer Bruce Bromberg. The CD opens with "Black Bag Blues", capturing his listeners early with his hard driving guitar style. "Walk the Floor" is a slower blues number with Childs further displaying his skills as a veteran blues guitar slinger. His captivating boogie style guitar rocks with "Don't Quit the Man". He completely breaks tradition with the gypsy style tune "Junkman's Son" dedicated to his fascinating documentary film that chronicled his life and his struggle to obtain a record deal called The Junkman's Son. He continues with a 60's rock-blues style number titled "Back In the Middle". Then he once again returns to a more traditional, slower blues cut "Leaving In the Morning". His use of the wah pedal brings back shades of the 60's group Cream in "Find My Baby". The cd continues with his return to a Chuck Berry boogie guitar style heard in "Thumbs Boogie" and "Chromatic Boogie".
"I'm a Ram" introduces a horn arrangement, bringing yet another element to this unique collection of the blues. "Don't Leave Me Baby" in my opinion showcases Johnny's guitar style and vocals in this new cd filled with variety. The cd wraps up with "Roll Away the Stone" and a less traditional blues number "Fairwell My Love" on which he tears up the fretboard. "Groove" concludes with a famed Jeff Healy number "See the Light" Johnny Childs style. Blues followers will soon come to recognize this well hidden Southern California blues secret after listening to the Johnny Childs blues cd "Groove". His vocals have been compared somewhat to Tom Waits but he has a guitar style all his own!
WASSER - PRAWDA
Johnny Childs - "Groove"
(by Nathan Norgel)
A guitar - sharp as a knife - it comes from the neighbourhood of Buddy Guy and Jimi Hendrix. A grooving and thumping rhythm section - and a whole lot of passion. "Groove" by Johnny Childs is a great work of guitar-blues.
What makes a good blues-number? Is it the the technical skill of the artist, the correct references to the history? Or is it the passion of the bluesman and his devotion to a music rarely heard on "Triple-A" radio?
Just listen to this guitar: You can hear pain and passion and love in every single note of Johnny Childs. You just have to think, where you heard such sound before. Your looking instantly for the matching drawers. Yeah - maybe it's like Buddy Guy - his sharpness and virtuosity. But to make things clear: We haven't heard such a guitar in a long time.
And we have a rhythm section with the best grooves for his songs. His vocals, while perhaps less remarkable than his playing ability, deliver the songs with the conviction and authority of a truly refined bluesman.
"Groove" is a more than accurate title for this album. The groove that gets you from the start an doesn't let go til the end. We have blues, boogies, shuffles - all the good old stuff. But when Johnny Childs sings songs like "Junkman's Son" you can also hear the influences from his Jewish family. And that makes this album even more fascinating.
(by Nathan Norgel)
A guitar - sharp as a knife - it comes from the neighbourhood of Buddy Guy and Jimi Hendrix. A grooving and thumping rhythm section - and a whole lot of passion. "Groove" by Johnny Childs is a great work of guitar-blues.
What makes a good blues-number? Is it the the technical skill of the artist, the correct references to the history? Or is it the passion of the bluesman and his devotion to a music rarely heard on "Triple-A" radio?
Just listen to this guitar: You can hear pain and passion and love in every single note of Johnny Childs. You just have to think, where you heard such sound before. Your looking instantly for the matching drawers. Yeah - maybe it's like Buddy Guy - his sharpness and virtuosity. But to make things clear: We haven't heard such a guitar in a long time.
And we have a rhythm section with the best grooves for his songs. His vocals, while perhaps less remarkable than his playing ability, deliver the songs with the conviction and authority of a truly refined bluesman.
"Groove" is a more than accurate title for this album. The groove that gets you from the start an doesn't let go til the end. We have blues, boogies, shuffles - all the good old stuff. But when Johnny Childs sings songs like "Junkman's Son" you can also hear the influences from his Jewish family. And that makes this album even more fascinating.
SOUTHLAND BLUES - Cover Story
A few years ago, Alligator Records president, Bruce Iglauer, was interviewed about the current sad state that the modern blues business was (and still is) in. "What we need to happen right now [to reinvigorate the blues world and bring in new fans] is for a major crossover artist to emerge, either someone from the present group of artists, or somebody new coming up."
Having recently heard about this exciting new artist in Southern California, I began listening to Johnny Childs' debut CD, The Truth, in my car for several days before seeing him perform for the first time.
On Sat. January 19th at the Blue Cafe in Long Beach, Childs had the club packed to capacity with music fans and conventioneers. Judging by the random shouts of enthusiasm throughout the show, it was obvious to me that I wasn't the only one feeling like I was experiencing something fresh. As a testament to his performance, at the end of the night the audience would not let the band leave the stage and continued to ask for encore after encore.
Quietly and steadily, Johnny Childs has become one of the region's best kept secrets; a highly unusual blues-rock six-stringer with few peers. As a guitarist he has a rare triple-threat quality that I'll call "the three T's": touch, timing and taste. The evidence shows that he has taken the finer points of artists such as Albert King, Thumbs Carlyle, Django Reinhardt and Albert Collins and fused them into a idiosyncratic style that is all his own.
As an added bonus, he's a songwriter with an unusual flair for exciting arrangements, rhythms and dynamics that incorporate the best elements of many diverse musical genres such as Blues, Jazz, Swing, Rock, Gypsy stylings even Klezmer music. Think of mixing Tom Waits, Jimi Hendrix and John Lee Hooker, and you kinda get the idea.
Obviously this is why Southland Blues reviewer Char Ham wrote the following of Childs in 2000; "He paints blues riffs as radically as Picasso. He pushes blues to experimental and quirky heights."
It is clear that he is not your typical, traditional blues artist, (an often confining medium for musicians with a thin imagination, or lack of depth).
But Childs has smartly avoided trying to play and sing like anyone but himself. Instead, he has done what successful artists such as Jimmie Vaughan and Eric Clapton have done; understanding their vocal limitations and using them to their advantage by adapting an effective minimalist approach.
Before writing this article, I met with Johnny in his very modest apartment in Hollywood and he told me some interesting stories about his personal life including how he was born the third oldest of ten children into a strict, Orthodox Rabbinical Jewish family; how he ran away from home at the age of twelve, stole cars, worked dozens of odd jobs in New York City, Toronto, Miami and Boston, and how he eventually settled in Los Angeles in the early 1990s. In fact, there are too many crazy details to print.
When he talks music, Childs becomes very serious. "Honestly, the most common feedback I get is that I don't quite sound like anyone else. When I hear that, I feel like I've really reached my own port of gold in a way and I sleep well."
"Someone even asked me the other day if I ever dream of winning a Grammy! I didn't know what to say. The truth is, my plan is, God willing, within six months or so, to record a full-length record with one of the major blues labels and to make it gutsy and polished enough so that it will be nominated for a W.C. Handy Award."
After witnessing what Childs was playin that night at the Blue Cafe, and with the authority in which he was delivering it, I was again reminded of Bruce Iglauer's thoughts on the next major blues crossover artist. In fact, it even prompted me to imagine what it must have been like for some back in Texas, circa 1981, to see a band called the Double Trouble that featured a hardly-known guitarist who eventually hit major fame. Unfortunately, most of Stevie Ray Vaughan's recent musical heirs seem to have taken the wrong approach, favoring mimicry over exploration. That's why I'm particularly excited about the future for Childs. In my opinion, this leaves him standing at the vanguard of a very small handful of innovators who also have the vision and the chops to actually pull off something profound.
Career-wise, it does look promising for Johnny, now that many of the major music venues and some national festivals have come calling. One thing is for sure, you are going to be seeing and hearing much more from him. I encourage all contemporary blues fans to check your calendar's local listings and search him out.
- by Sherman Reidy
Having recently heard about this exciting new artist in Southern California, I began listening to Johnny Childs' debut CD, The Truth, in my car for several days before seeing him perform for the first time.
On Sat. January 19th at the Blue Cafe in Long Beach, Childs had the club packed to capacity with music fans and conventioneers. Judging by the random shouts of enthusiasm throughout the show, it was obvious to me that I wasn't the only one feeling like I was experiencing something fresh. As a testament to his performance, at the end of the night the audience would not let the band leave the stage and continued to ask for encore after encore.
Quietly and steadily, Johnny Childs has become one of the region's best kept secrets; a highly unusual blues-rock six-stringer with few peers. As a guitarist he has a rare triple-threat quality that I'll call "the three T's": touch, timing and taste. The evidence shows that he has taken the finer points of artists such as Albert King, Thumbs Carlyle, Django Reinhardt and Albert Collins and fused them into a idiosyncratic style that is all his own.
As an added bonus, he's a songwriter with an unusual flair for exciting arrangements, rhythms and dynamics that incorporate the best elements of many diverse musical genres such as Blues, Jazz, Swing, Rock, Gypsy stylings even Klezmer music. Think of mixing Tom Waits, Jimi Hendrix and John Lee Hooker, and you kinda get the idea.
Obviously this is why Southland Blues reviewer Char Ham wrote the following of Childs in 2000; "He paints blues riffs as radically as Picasso. He pushes blues to experimental and quirky heights."
It is clear that he is not your typical, traditional blues artist, (an often confining medium for musicians with a thin imagination, or lack of depth).
But Childs has smartly avoided trying to play and sing like anyone but himself. Instead, he has done what successful artists such as Jimmie Vaughan and Eric Clapton have done; understanding their vocal limitations and using them to their advantage by adapting an effective minimalist approach.
Before writing this article, I met with Johnny in his very modest apartment in Hollywood and he told me some interesting stories about his personal life including how he was born the third oldest of ten children into a strict, Orthodox Rabbinical Jewish family; how he ran away from home at the age of twelve, stole cars, worked dozens of odd jobs in New York City, Toronto, Miami and Boston, and how he eventually settled in Los Angeles in the early 1990s. In fact, there are too many crazy details to print.
When he talks music, Childs becomes very serious. "Honestly, the most common feedback I get is that I don't quite sound like anyone else. When I hear that, I feel like I've really reached my own port of gold in a way and I sleep well."
"Someone even asked me the other day if I ever dream of winning a Grammy! I didn't know what to say. The truth is, my plan is, God willing, within six months or so, to record a full-length record with one of the major blues labels and to make it gutsy and polished enough so that it will be nominated for a W.C. Handy Award."
After witnessing what Childs was playin that night at the Blue Cafe, and with the authority in which he was delivering it, I was again reminded of Bruce Iglauer's thoughts on the next major blues crossover artist. In fact, it even prompted me to imagine what it must have been like for some back in Texas, circa 1981, to see a band called the Double Trouble that featured a hardly-known guitarist who eventually hit major fame. Unfortunately, most of Stevie Ray Vaughan's recent musical heirs seem to have taken the wrong approach, favoring mimicry over exploration. That's why I'm particularly excited about the future for Childs. In my opinion, this leaves him standing at the vanguard of a very small handful of innovators who also have the vision and the chops to actually pull off something profound.
Career-wise, it does look promising for Johnny, now that many of the major music venues and some national festivals have come calling. One thing is for sure, you are going to be seeing and hearing much more from him. I encourage all contemporary blues fans to check your calendar's local listings and search him out.
- by Sherman Reidy
JEWSWEEK - Cover Story
From Frum to Blues
Yonah Korhn was a rabbi's son who was a teenage runaway, a car thief, and did time. Now, he's reinvented himself as Johnny Childs, the blues star.
by Dan Pine
Can Jews play the blues? With the bend of an E string, guitarist Johnny Childs proves the answer is an unequivocal "yes". Childs (nee Yonah Krohn), 31, is the son of a Brooklyn-based Orthodox rabbi, and the product of a fervently religious home. He was also a teenage runaway, a car thief, did time in juvenile hall and lived in a group home for troubled boys. Then, after he straightened out, Childs spent a decade trying to make it as a musician in Los Angeles. With so many years of hard traveling under his belt, he most definitely should be singing the blues. His look is a little bit Elvis, a little bit Ed Grimley, but he plays the guitar with the singular sweetness of a truly refined bluesman. That's because, says Childs, he learned from the best. He counts John Lee Hooker, Albert King and Albert Collins among his top-tier heroes, but Childs reveres all manner of blues greats, from acoustic pioneer Robert Johnson to latter-day trendsetter Jonny Lang. Given his Orthodox background, Childs discovered music relatively late. One of 10 children, little Yonah was a model child until the age of 8. Then all hell broke loose. "I always had creative energy, but without the outlet," he says. "As an Orthodox kid, you can't go to the movies, no radio, no TV. If that creative energy isn't being nutured, you're going to react to that. My reaction was to leave home." Dabbling in petty crime landed Childs in a court-mandated group home for a couple of years. That Dickensian existence, awful as it was, helped the wayward youth in surprising ways. "Living in a house full of violence-prone teens who were not Jewish and couldn't pronounce my name made me realize what I didn't want to be. And I discovered music." Childs' roommate, a heavy metal fan, would practice guitar scales incessantly. "At first, it drove me crazy," he recalls, "but then I made him show me how to play." He got his first guitar at age 15, and after seeing the film Crossroads (the story of a young white blues guitarist), he set about teaching himself the blues with a single-mindedness bordering on the obsessive. As skilled Childs became, music remained a hobby until a pivotal moment around age 19. He had snagged a white-collar job at a New York garment company, but before being swallowed whole by corporate America, Childs was fired for staring too long at the breasts of a female client. Call it a sign from God. From then on, Childs devoted himself completely to music. He moved to L.A. and began building a career, promising himself he would do "whatever it took, no matter how long it took."
Like many blues musicians, a monastic devotion to purity often kept Childs teetering on the financial edge. He's hocked his prize Les Paul guitar more times than he can count. But he's also proudly turned down many opportunities to play what he considers sell-out music with sell-out bands. "I didn't get into this business to make money right away, but to make money my way," he affirms. Over the years Childs has become a reliable fixture on the L.A. blues circuit. But to raise seed money for his debut independently released 1999 album "The Truth," Childs took a decidedly unorthodox approach. "I did fund-raising door-to-door in the Orthodox community," he remembers. "They thought I was going to ask for money to build a new wing for the yeshiva. I threw them a curve ball when I told them it was for a blues album." All told, Childs raised more than $20,000, and went on to record the album. "The Truth" received raves and led to further touring. Childs plans to record two more traditional blues albums, ideally under the aegis of a major label.
Despite the drastic lifestyle changes since his days of wine and payes, Childs considers himself back in the Jewish camp. His manager is Orthodox, along with his producer, Ira Newborn. Childs reports he has spent many a Friday night having Shabbat dinner with his crew or Orthodox blues nuts. "No matter how far he goes, a Jew always comes back," he says. "As each year goes by, I definitely feel stronger a return to my roots."
Yonah Korhn was a rabbi's son who was a teenage runaway, a car thief, and did time. Now, he's reinvented himself as Johnny Childs, the blues star.
by Dan Pine
Can Jews play the blues? With the bend of an E string, guitarist Johnny Childs proves the answer is an unequivocal "yes". Childs (nee Yonah Krohn), 31, is the son of a Brooklyn-based Orthodox rabbi, and the product of a fervently religious home. He was also a teenage runaway, a car thief, did time in juvenile hall and lived in a group home for troubled boys. Then, after he straightened out, Childs spent a decade trying to make it as a musician in Los Angeles. With so many years of hard traveling under his belt, he most definitely should be singing the blues. His look is a little bit Elvis, a little bit Ed Grimley, but he plays the guitar with the singular sweetness of a truly refined bluesman. That's because, says Childs, he learned from the best. He counts John Lee Hooker, Albert King and Albert Collins among his top-tier heroes, but Childs reveres all manner of blues greats, from acoustic pioneer Robert Johnson to latter-day trendsetter Jonny Lang. Given his Orthodox background, Childs discovered music relatively late. One of 10 children, little Yonah was a model child until the age of 8. Then all hell broke loose. "I always had creative energy, but without the outlet," he says. "As an Orthodox kid, you can't go to the movies, no radio, no TV. If that creative energy isn't being nutured, you're going to react to that. My reaction was to leave home." Dabbling in petty crime landed Childs in a court-mandated group home for a couple of years. That Dickensian existence, awful as it was, helped the wayward youth in surprising ways. "Living in a house full of violence-prone teens who were not Jewish and couldn't pronounce my name made me realize what I didn't want to be. And I discovered music." Childs' roommate, a heavy metal fan, would practice guitar scales incessantly. "At first, it drove me crazy," he recalls, "but then I made him show me how to play." He got his first guitar at age 15, and after seeing the film Crossroads (the story of a young white blues guitarist), he set about teaching himself the blues with a single-mindedness bordering on the obsessive. As skilled Childs became, music remained a hobby until a pivotal moment around age 19. He had snagged a white-collar job at a New York garment company, but before being swallowed whole by corporate America, Childs was fired for staring too long at the breasts of a female client. Call it a sign from God. From then on, Childs devoted himself completely to music. He moved to L.A. and began building a career, promising himself he would do "whatever it took, no matter how long it took."
Like many blues musicians, a monastic devotion to purity often kept Childs teetering on the financial edge. He's hocked his prize Les Paul guitar more times than he can count. But he's also proudly turned down many opportunities to play what he considers sell-out music with sell-out bands. "I didn't get into this business to make money right away, but to make money my way," he affirms. Over the years Childs has become a reliable fixture on the L.A. blues circuit. But to raise seed money for his debut independently released 1999 album "The Truth," Childs took a decidedly unorthodox approach. "I did fund-raising door-to-door in the Orthodox community," he remembers. "They thought I was going to ask for money to build a new wing for the yeshiva. I threw them a curve ball when I told them it was for a blues album." All told, Childs raised more than $20,000, and went on to record the album. "The Truth" received raves and led to further touring. Childs plans to record two more traditional blues albums, ideally under the aegis of a major label.
Despite the drastic lifestyle changes since his days of wine and payes, Childs considers himself back in the Jewish camp. His manager is Orthodox, along with his producer, Ira Newborn. Childs reports he has spent many a Friday night having Shabbat dinner with his crew or Orthodox blues nuts. "No matter how far he goes, a Jew always comes back," he says. "As each year goes by, I definitely feel stronger a return to my roots."
Johnny Childs' The Junkman's Son, film Review - by J. Blake
American Blues News Posted on 1/26/2010 (New York, NY)
The Junkman's Son is a documentary chronicling one bluesman’s struggle to obtain a “record deal” before his 30th birthday. The film opens in California, with a 29 year-old Johnny Childs (a.k.a. Yonah Krohn) crashing on a friend’s couch. The year is 2001, just 6 months before his self-imposed deadline. He is broke, living off of the kindness of his friends and pawning his guitar from week to week for survival money.
The camera follows Childs through the various steps he takes to try and achieve his goal; cold calling record companies in attempt to get people to come to his showcases, paying homeless people to wear signs that count down the days until his deadline and even trying to weasel his way on to The Howard Stern Show. The singer/guitarist is charming, talented and very determined. His professional struggle is engaging and relatable, but the film’s real strengths lie in the story of Childs’ past and in the struggles of his personal life.
Born to a large and “ultra-conservative” Orthodox Jewish family, by age 12 Yonah Krohn (a.k.a. Johnny Childs) had already fallen into bad habits and found trouble with law (on several occasions). Outcast from his family, he spent his early teenage years as an entrepreneur, running everything from cleaning companies and painting businesses to dealing drugs. By age 15 he was a little Jewish Tony Montana, completely on his own and the toast of the town; dealing cocaine in Miami Florida to a wealthy clientele that included fashion model industry. It was during this time that he took up playing the guitar. He spent the following years honing his musical skills, being thrown off of open-mic stages in New York, fronting a hard-rock band in Israel and finding his calling as a blues artist in California. As the film brings Childs’ trials and tribulations up to the present day of 2001, we see the unknown bluesman struggling to take care of his drug addicted brother, failing miserably at running a ‘speed-dating’ service and spending over a week in the L.A. County Jail for outstanding traffic warrants.
The musician/filmmaker’s story is easily compelling enough to keep you intrigued for the full running time of almost 2 hours. He has led an extraordinary life and amazingly most of it seems to have been captured on video. The sheer amount of footage spanning the entirety of his 30 years (up to 2001) is nothing short of astounding. As a filmmaker, he weaves an engaging underdog tale that manages to be both familiar and fascinating.
This film took 8 years to complete and proves to be just one more example of Childs' undying determination. I recommend THE JUNKMAN'S SON to both music and film lovers and I strongly urge blues fans to check out Johnny Childs’ music. Perhaps the film’s biggest flaw is that it and his life, overshadow his music and the fact that he is an exceptional blues talent; with a unique guitar-style and infectious energy.
Thanks and keep reading American Blues News!!!
Copyright © 2010 - J. Blake. All Rights Reserved
The JEWISH JOURNAL of Los Angeles
Arts
Yonah and the Wail
By Gaby Wenig
Johnny Childs, blues musician, has come a long way from his old life as an ultra-Orthodox hoodlum. He started off in Brooklyn as Yonah Krohn, the unruly third child in a family of 10, who would sometimes briefly steal the fancy cars outside synagogues and take them for joy rides. He left home when he was 12 because his parents didn't want him corrupting his younger siblings, and at 14, while in a group home, his life gained focus after he discovered the dulcet strains of blues music. "Blues gave me an outlet for my creativity, and the ability to start expressing myself through an art form, which is something I never experienced growing up," said Childs, 31, now one of Los Angeles' most promising blues acts. "It's an honest, unpretentious, minimalist way of expressing your emotions, that also relies heavily on improvisation, that enables you to express what is going on in your mind and your heart at any given moment."
Childs is self-taught. In the group home, he sat with his roommate's guitar, replaying any riffs he had heard until they satisfied him, and then he would take them one step further by adding something of his own.
"I have always tried to squeeze a new note out of the instrument every time I pick it up," he said. "When I hear somebody play a riff on guitar, or any instrument, that I want to steal -- because that is how anybody builds an arsenal of riffs -- I would learn it note for note, but I never performed it the way I stole it. I would keep the intensity but deliver something really different."
Childs keeps his music from sounding like a traditional Delta blues band by writing songs that cross over into the rock genre, and by making sure that his music is not derivative sounding. He plays in clubs all over Los Angeles, and has already recorded two albums, titled "The Truth," and the more recent CD "Johnny Childs".
And what does his rabbinic family think of his career choice? Said Childs, "They are just glad I am not stealing cars anymore."
For more information call Sun House Records at (646) 737-3648
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
JOHNNY CHILDS
By Jon Hayes
Johnny Childs is a man with a plan as they say. A man with a plan for the blues. Besides being an excellent guitar player, song writer, and music technician, Johnny is noticeably smart, a scholar in many ways and a music strategist with a great future in front of him. I had a very enjoyable lunch with Johnny recently in Encino. He is worth listening to and seeing and, I assure you, going to be around for a long time.
Johnny Childs was born in 1972 in Brooklyn, New York, third oldest of ten children of an orthodox Rabbi. He grew up in Toronto and left home at 12. He started playing the guitar at age 13 and traveled extensively throughout his teen years. An early experience seeing the movie Crossroads provided the motivation to explore and play blues himself. At age 15, he saw a blues band in Miami and was hooked. He started studying blues music and moved back to New York at around 20 years old. In New York, Johnny got a corporate job in sales for Gitano Jeans and did well but ultimately he was forced to choose between a corporate lifestyle or music. He chose music as you can see.
Johnny moved to Los Angeles in 1993 at age 21 or so to concentrate on pursuing a musical career. He lived for a time in a room at a local synagogue and played here and there, all the while studying blues. For six years he studied music primarily by concentrating on the top local blues oriented performers such as Preston Smith, Arthur Adams, William Clarke, King Ernest and James Harmon. Preston Smith told me that he likes to call Johnny to the stage when he stops by a gig because he plays guitar with lots of feel.
Johnny’s major influences, he told me, are Albert Collins, Albert King, John Lee Hooker, Jr. Watson and the local guitar phenom Rick Holstrom. He says he loves everyone who "says less with more". While that sounds a little esoteric, it is consistent with Johnny’s essential scholastic personality. His style is a self-described "progressive traditional", all in the phrasing he told me, the way you tie the music together.
A few years ago, Johnny went to his friends in Toronto and raised funds to produce a CD and insure that he could survive while he went through this learning process. Back in L.A., he approached Ira Newborn whom he described to me as a musical genius. Ira, a top studio guitarist, composed scores for movies including Blues Brothers and was the perfect fit to produce Johnny’s first CD. The CD, titled The Truth, was recorded primarily at Master Groove Studios in the San Fernando Valley, with engineer Jonas Hansson and Dog House Studios, Kiley DeJesus engineer.
The Truth has thirteen songs, seven of which are Johnny Childs originals including Come Back Easy, She Moves Me and Blue Over You. The other songs include Johnny’s version of old time favorites by John Lee Hooker, Sonny Boy Williamson and Willie Dixon. The CD features Johnny on guitar and vocals, Steve F’dore on keyboards, Rick Reed on bass and Paul Fasulo on drums among other players. I have seen Steve F’dore with Roy Gaines and at Cozy’s when Floyd Dixon called him up to the stage to play a couple songs one night. He is a phenomenal boogie woogie keyboardist.
Johnny has appeared at the Chicago Blues Festival, the King Biscuit Festival and the Bill Graham Festival of Lights. He sat in with Arthur Adams at B.B. Kings and with Jimmy Woods and Sacred Hearts at the House of Blues. He has also played with Freddie Brooks and John "Juke" Logan. Johnny especially enjoyed playing with Juke Logan, a master harp player, since Juke played major parts of the sound tract of the movie Crossroads.
I saw Johnny play at the Porch Restaurant at the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip recently. The music, while subdued at the demand of management, was energetic and soulful nevertheless.
Roy Basser, writing for Blues Review, said recently that Johnny is "a unique and accomplished guitar player, singer and songwriter with substance and the ability to become a major force on the blues scene as well as in crossover markets". You should check him out for yourself.
You can see Johnny Childs at Harvelles in Santa Monica, the Fullerton Market, Sundance in San Clemente, and all around. Let me know what you think. Say hi if you see me out and about.
By Jon Hayes
Johnny Childs is a man with a plan as they say. A man with a plan for the blues. Besides being an excellent guitar player, song writer, and music technician, Johnny is noticeably smart, a scholar in many ways and a music strategist with a great future in front of him. I had a very enjoyable lunch with Johnny recently in Encino. He is worth listening to and seeing and, I assure you, going to be around for a long time.
Johnny Childs was born in 1972 in Brooklyn, New York, third oldest of ten children of an orthodox Rabbi. He grew up in Toronto and left home at 12. He started playing the guitar at age 13 and traveled extensively throughout his teen years. An early experience seeing the movie Crossroads provided the motivation to explore and play blues himself. At age 15, he saw a blues band in Miami and was hooked. He started studying blues music and moved back to New York at around 20 years old. In New York, Johnny got a corporate job in sales for Gitano Jeans and did well but ultimately he was forced to choose between a corporate lifestyle or music. He chose music as you can see.
Johnny moved to Los Angeles in 1993 at age 21 or so to concentrate on pursuing a musical career. He lived for a time in a room at a local synagogue and played here and there, all the while studying blues. For six years he studied music primarily by concentrating on the top local blues oriented performers such as Preston Smith, Arthur Adams, William Clarke, King Ernest and James Harmon. Preston Smith told me that he likes to call Johnny to the stage when he stops by a gig because he plays guitar with lots of feel.
Johnny’s major influences, he told me, are Albert Collins, Albert King, John Lee Hooker, Jr. Watson and the local guitar phenom Rick Holstrom. He says he loves everyone who "says less with more". While that sounds a little esoteric, it is consistent with Johnny’s essential scholastic personality. His style is a self-described "progressive traditional", all in the phrasing he told me, the way you tie the music together.
A few years ago, Johnny went to his friends in Toronto and raised funds to produce a CD and insure that he could survive while he went through this learning process. Back in L.A., he approached Ira Newborn whom he described to me as a musical genius. Ira, a top studio guitarist, composed scores for movies including Blues Brothers and was the perfect fit to produce Johnny’s first CD. The CD, titled The Truth, was recorded primarily at Master Groove Studios in the San Fernando Valley, with engineer Jonas Hansson and Dog House Studios, Kiley DeJesus engineer.
The Truth has thirteen songs, seven of which are Johnny Childs originals including Come Back Easy, She Moves Me and Blue Over You. The other songs include Johnny’s version of old time favorites by John Lee Hooker, Sonny Boy Williamson and Willie Dixon. The CD features Johnny on guitar and vocals, Steve F’dore on keyboards, Rick Reed on bass and Paul Fasulo on drums among other players. I have seen Steve F’dore with Roy Gaines and at Cozy’s when Floyd Dixon called him up to the stage to play a couple songs one night. He is a phenomenal boogie woogie keyboardist.
Johnny has appeared at the Chicago Blues Festival, the King Biscuit Festival and the Bill Graham Festival of Lights. He sat in with Arthur Adams at B.B. Kings and with Jimmy Woods and Sacred Hearts at the House of Blues. He has also played with Freddie Brooks and John "Juke" Logan. Johnny especially enjoyed playing with Juke Logan, a master harp player, since Juke played major parts of the sound tract of the movie Crossroads.
I saw Johnny play at the Porch Restaurant at the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip recently. The music, while subdued at the demand of management, was energetic and soulful nevertheless.
Roy Basser, writing for Blues Review, said recently that Johnny is "a unique and accomplished guitar player, singer and songwriter with substance and the ability to become a major force on the blues scene as well as in crossover markets". You should check him out for yourself.
You can see Johnny Childs at Harvelles in Santa Monica, the Fullerton Market, Sundance in San Clemente, and all around. Let me know what you think. Say hi if you see me out and about.
B.A.B BLOG - Alex Guttman
Johnny Childs Northern California Tour Recap
Hi. My name is Alex Gutman, and BayAreaBooking - www.bayareabooking.com - - just
completed a fully supported tour 6 date tour for Johnny Childs -
www.johnnychilds.com in Northern California. It was great meeting most of you!!
The shows and publicity covered San Francisco, Napa, Sonoma, Marin, South Bay,
and the East Bay. The tour went extremely well and Johnny and Co. were very well
received!! Johnny put on great shows, and in every venue he played, The Johnny
Childs band picked up new fans, who hopefully will help us promote the next tour
in the coming months. We also sold a lot of CD's!! This is real grassroots
stuff! Every show we played, We met someone who heard Johnny on the radio -
(Mark Naftalin, Tom Mazzolini), and by DJ's at a slew of community radio
stations in the North, East, South, and West bays - and were intrigued enough to
come out. I could see the positive reactions of the audience. It was the look of
witnessing something Fresh and Exciting!!
Johnny kept showing why he is in a class by himself...In my years, of listening
to the Blues and Music in general, I have never heard sounds like the ones that
come out of Johnny's guitar, and a voice that is becoming more and more refined
with each show. Additionally, Johnny plays the guitar with Lots of feel. His
uniqueness is a major key to his success.. The great cast joining Johnny on the
tour were Patrick Cattia - Yet another drummer who's had the honor of meeting
one of my all-time favorite percussionists, Neil Peart of Rush - , Leo "Thunder"
Hopkins on his big bad bass, and Emiliano Juarez playing great rhythm on the
geetar...Emiliano will be joining Lady Bianca www.ladybianca.com on her tour
that comes to Eli's Mile High Club this Saturday, August 2nd in Oakland,
California. http://www.elisblues.com/
We want to thank all those who have been contributed to this tour's
success..Among those are Tom Mazzolini, Mark Naftalin, June Stanley at JJ's,
Bill Bowker at Krush Radio, Frank Klein @ Eli's, Julie Snyder, Dalton Jerry of
the http://www.bluenotecats.com/ , Bobby Cabrerra at Downtown Joe's, Kristen
Clark at Biscuits and Blues, Johnny Brooklyn @ KPOO, J.L. Stiles, David Pehling
@ Ktvu.Com, Maureen "Mo" Hayes, Jack Cohen, Dorothy Hill, Jeb Brady, Daniel
Jacoubovitch @ Modern Blues Recordings
Debbie Lubin, Mike Lasman. Noel Hayes, Julie Flynnowitz, Cara Novick, Noah
Solomon, Mark Ambrosino, Jay Weissman, Chris Millar @ Fedora Records, Larry
Rippee @ WKMR, Ramon Johnson , Alex Andreas at the BooM BooM RooM
www.boomboomblues.com , Sarah Baumann at the Ivy Room, Randy @ Pete's 881 club
in San Rafael, Kathleen Lawton @ KCSM, Ben Bernstein, Byron Rynes, John Goldfarb
@ K, Sarah Bellam at KZSU, Mr. and Mrs. Jon Boyer, Tomer Altman, Prince Kollie,
John Gaines & the gang at Tradewinds, Tony Mattioli www.thestolenbibles.com ,
Gideon Boaz, Stuart Wax and Family, Donna Nolan and the gang at Sonoma Tunes
www.sonomatunes.com , Woody Weingarten, Mr. Ed Ivey @ BayAreaBooking, Dan Pine,
all the DJ's, writers, and last but not least, all the FANS.Oh yeah..And the
Band:) Sorry if I forgot anyone!! We all made this happen!!
Thanks for listenin'!! Johnny will be back soon!! Thanks to y'all!!
Best,
Alex G
Pro-Motions/Johnny Childs
www.bayareabooking.com
completed a fully supported tour 6 date tour for Johnny Childs -
www.johnnychilds.com in Northern California. It was great meeting most of you!!
The shows and publicity covered San Francisco, Napa, Sonoma, Marin, South Bay,
and the East Bay. The tour went extremely well and Johnny and Co. were very well
received!! Johnny put on great shows, and in every venue he played, The Johnny
Childs band picked up new fans, who hopefully will help us promote the next tour
in the coming months. We also sold a lot of CD's!! This is real grassroots
stuff! Every show we played, We met someone who heard Johnny on the radio -
(Mark Naftalin, Tom Mazzolini), and by DJ's at a slew of community radio
stations in the North, East, South, and West bays - and were intrigued enough to
come out. I could see the positive reactions of the audience. It was the look of
witnessing something Fresh and Exciting!!
Johnny kept showing why he is in a class by himself...In my years, of listening
to the Blues and Music in general, I have never heard sounds like the ones that
come out of Johnny's guitar, and a voice that is becoming more and more refined
with each show. Additionally, Johnny plays the guitar with Lots of feel. His
uniqueness is a major key to his success.. The great cast joining Johnny on the
tour were Patrick Cattia - Yet another drummer who's had the honor of meeting
one of my all-time favorite percussionists, Neil Peart of Rush - , Leo "Thunder"
Hopkins on his big bad bass, and Emiliano Juarez playing great rhythm on the
geetar...Emiliano will be joining Lady Bianca www.ladybianca.com on her tour
that comes to Eli's Mile High Club this Saturday, August 2nd in Oakland,
California. http://www.elisblues.com/
We want to thank all those who have been contributed to this tour's
success..Among those are Tom Mazzolini, Mark Naftalin, June Stanley at JJ's,
Bill Bowker at Krush Radio, Frank Klein @ Eli's, Julie Snyder, Dalton Jerry of
the http://www.bluenotecats.com/ , Bobby Cabrerra at Downtown Joe's, Kristen
Clark at Biscuits and Blues, Johnny Brooklyn @ KPOO, J.L. Stiles, David Pehling
@ Ktvu.Com, Maureen "Mo" Hayes, Jack Cohen, Dorothy Hill, Jeb Brady, Daniel
Jacoubovitch @ Modern Blues Recordings
Debbie Lubin, Mike Lasman. Noel Hayes, Julie Flynnowitz, Cara Novick, Noah
Solomon, Mark Ambrosino, Jay Weissman, Chris Millar @ Fedora Records, Larry
Rippee @ WKMR, Ramon Johnson , Alex Andreas at the BooM BooM RooM
www.boomboomblues.com , Sarah Baumann at the Ivy Room, Randy @ Pete's 881 club
in San Rafael, Kathleen Lawton @ KCSM, Ben Bernstein, Byron Rynes, John Goldfarb
@ K, Sarah Bellam at KZSU, Mr. and Mrs. Jon Boyer, Tomer Altman, Prince Kollie,
John Gaines & the gang at Tradewinds, Tony Mattioli www.thestolenbibles.com ,
Gideon Boaz, Stuart Wax and Family, Donna Nolan and the gang at Sonoma Tunes
www.sonomatunes.com , Woody Weingarten, Mr. Ed Ivey @ BayAreaBooking, Dan Pine,
all the DJ's, writers, and last but not least, all the FANS.Oh yeah..And the
Band:) Sorry if I forgot anyone!! We all made this happen!!
Thanks for listenin'!! Johnny will be back soon!! Thanks to y'all!!
Best,
Alex G
Pro-Motions/Johnny Childs
www.bayareabooking.com
