John Primer

By any yardstick, Chicago guitarist John Primer has paid his dues. Before making THE REAL THING for Mike Vernon’s Atlantic-distributed Code Blue label, Primer spent 13 years because the ever-reliable tempo guitarist with Magic Slim & the Teardrops. Before that, he stuffed the same function behind Chicago immortals Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon. Everything that grounding has paid handsomely for Primer. His audio is rooted within the traditional Windy Town blues audio of years past: rough-edged and uncompromising and fulfilling in the severe. He’s among the last genuine traditionalists around. By enough time he found Chicago in 1963, Primer was completely acquainted with the lowdown noises of Waters, Wolf, Jimmy Reed, B.B. and Albert Ruler, and Elmore Wayne. He fronted a Western Side outfit for some time known as the Maintainers, dishing out a variety of spirit and blues before becoming a member of the house music group in the Southside blues mecca Theresa’s Lounge for what finished up being truly a nine-year operate. Elegant guitarist Sammy Lawhorn demonstrated quite important on Primer’s maturing acoustic guitar approach during this time period. Always searching for aspiring skill, Willie Dixon spirited him aside for any 1979 gig in Mexico Town. After a 12 months as you of Dixon’s All-Stars, Primer was recruited to become listed on the final music group of Muddy Waters, using the Chicago blues ruler until his 1983 loss of life. Immediately after that, Primer became a member of causes with Magic Slim; their designs interlocked so seamlessly that their collaboration appeared like an eternal relationship. But Primer deserved his personal share from the limelight. In 1993, Michael Frank’s Chicago-based Earwig logo design released Primer’s debut home disc, Stuff YOU HAVE to Watch. It had been a glorious go back to the traditional ’50s Chicago audio, driven by Primer’s uncommonly concise electric guitar function and gruff, no-nonsense vocals. Using the 1995 introduction of THE REAL THING — made by Vernon and offering all-star support by harpist Billy Branch, pianist David Maxwell, and bassist Johnny B. Gayden, Primer’s superstar appeared prepared to ascend. He shortly transferred back again to the Wolf label for models such as for example 1997’s Cool Blooded Blues Man, 1998’s Blues NOWADAYS, and 2000’s From the Blues Life.