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Johnny Laws

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Johnny Laws
Born (1943-01-12) January 12, 1943 (age 81)
Chicago, Illinois, United States
GenresChicago blues, electric blues[1]
Occupation(s)Guitarist, singer, songwriter
Instrument(s)Guitar, vocals
Years activeMid-1960s–present
LabelsWolf Records, Electro-Fi Records

Johnny Laws (born July 12, 1943) is an American Chicago blues guitarist, singer and songwriter.[1] A regular performer for over half a century in Chicago's South Side clubs,[2] Laws has released two albums, including Burnin' in My Soul, of which Blues & Rhythm magazine in November 1999 noted, "It's a real shame that Johnny Laws has been unjustly ignored in the past. . . .This is an enjoyable CD. . . . . Full marks to those folks at Electro-Fi."[3]

His version of McKinley Mitchell's "End of the Rainbow" demonstrates his versatility and vocal range.[4]

In an April 1999 editorial leader, the Toronto Star remarked that "South Side Chicago fave Johnny Laws . . . [is] winning plaudits for his seductive, soul-drenched blues."[citation needed]

Life and career

Laws was born in Chicago, Illinois, and has remained there all his life. He has played and performed on the South Side of Chicago since the mid-1960s, remaining largely a local cult favorite for decades.[1] He learned his Chicago blues craft mainly from listening to Jimmy Reed and Buster Benton.[5] His aching falsetto voice and vast repertoire gained much local acclaim.[1] His style ranges from soul to postwar blues to, occasionally, country music.[5] In addition to a regular weekend slot at the Cuddle Inn, Laws has been a frequent performer at the annual Chicago Blues Festival,[2][4] including a set in 2000.[6] Laws was featured in a 1993 issue of Living Blues magazine.[7]

Laws released his debut album, My Little Girl, for Wolf Records in 1995.[5] The album contains a couple of blues standards, but most of the songs were written by Laws.[2]

His second album, Blues Burnin' in My Soul, was released Electro-Fi Records in 1999,[2] containing cover versions of Junior Wells's song "Little by Little"; "Steal Away", by Jimmy Hughes; "Honest I Do" and "Ain't That Lovin' You Baby", by Jimmy Reed; and "Sadie", written and originally recorded by Hound Dog Taylor.[8] The autumn 1999 issue of Juke Blues stated that "Johnny Laws has a smooth, silky voice, at times almost a whisper, then rising into a falsetto, and falling back again into gentle expressiveness. . . . His appeal is in a delivery that seems so deceptively effortless."[3]

Discography

Albums

Year Title Record label
1995 My Little Girl Wolf Records
1999 Blues Burnin' in My Soul Electro-Fi Records

[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Ankeny, Jason. "Johnny Laws: Biography". AllMusic.com. Retrieved 2016-08-02.
  2. ^ a b c d "Johnny Laws". Allaboutbluesmusic.com. 2013-07-12. Retrieved 2016-08-02.
  3. ^ a b "Johnny Laws – Blues Burnin' in My Soul". Parsifal.be. 1999-04-09. Retrieved 2016-08-02.
  4. ^ a b Soto, Alfred. "Johnny Laws: Theater Critic's Choice". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2016-08-02.
  5. ^ a b c Komara, Edward (2006). Encyclopedia of the Blues. New York: Routledge. p. 585. ISBN 0-415-92699-8.
  6. ^ "Johnny Laws Chicago Blues Festival 2000 Part 2". Song.vepees.tk. 2012-01-21. Archived from the original on 2016-08-19. Retrieved 2016-08-02.
  7. ^ Sharp, Steve (1993). "Chicago Special: Johnny Laws". Living Blues. Vol. 110. pp. 34–35.
  8. ^ "Johnny Laws". SecondHandSongs.com. Retrieved 2016-08-02.
  9. ^ "Johnny Laws: Album Discography". AllMusic.com. Retrieved 2016-08-02.
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