Profile
Joel Johnson Band
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1999 KBA Award Winner Achievement for Blues on the Internet Presented by the Blues Foundation
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Bluesman Joel Johnson has been a fixture on the Twin Cities blues scene for more than 34 years—as musician, band leader, songwriter, disc jockey and jam leader. In addition to leading the Joel Johnson Band he hosts the long running Lazy Bill Lucas blues show on KFAI radio every Thursday afternoon, and can be found every Monday and Tuesday at Big Daddy’s BBQ in St. Paul hosting the after-work acoustic set. Johnson was born and raised in Minneapolis and moved to the West Bank in 1966 to be a part of the vibrant music scene. There he met Dave Ray, Willie Murphy and many other musicians whose names have become synonymous with Twin Cities music. As leader of the Joel Johnson Band, Joel provides the smoky vocals and smooth rhythm guitar in front of a group of seasoned blues veterans that include: Tom Burns on harmonica, Jon Norstad on drums, and former Fabulous Minnesota Barking Ducks stalwarts, Lee Tedrow on lead and slide guitar and Carl Smelker on bass. The Joel Johnson band has released 3 albums, "City Music" and "Turnin’ Heads" on Blue Loon and "Blue Diamonds w/Grana’ Louise" on the Diamond Blue label. The band’s current lineup, which ranks them right up at the top of local blues talent, will be recording a new album this year. The Joel Johnson Band’s style is firmly rooted in classic Chicago blues with overtones of Texas country blues. After years of payin’ their dues and singing the blues, the Joel Johnson Blues Band is creating quite a stir in the Twin Cities blues community.

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