Biography

Juke Joint Jonny (John Rizzo) is a bluesman, band leader, singer, songwriter and historian. Born in Newark, New Jersey in 1950, and was introduced at a very young age to the “Folk Blues” in the ethnically diverse neighborhood of his youth. Jonny heard the Blues for the first time at a very early age just across the street from his family's railroad apartment, coming from the Quonset huts of Sharecroppers who had moved north in search of a better life, and was Smitten Immediately. "You don't choose the Blues, the Blues Chooses You."
After an enlistment in the US Marine Corps and a combat tour of Vietnam in 1968, Jonny moved to Europe and played in Amsterdam, Belgium and Luxemburg before moving on to London, England and continued to hone his fingerpicking skills Busking and working the Pubs.
Jonny’s career has brought him through Canada and across the Continental U.S. playing and professing solo and combo Blues, in Kauai, Hawaii. Jonny formed Bands with the likes of Steve Wilcox (Candye Kane) and Michael Barretto (Taj Mahal). Eventually He ended up right where he Began in NJ with His Bands Sneaky Pete, Juke Joint Jonny and the usual suspects playing Festivals and Joints on the East Coast. As a Solo, Jonny opened for Justin Townes Earle and Geoff Achison.
Jonny met Albert Castiglia Through Albert’s Uncle Joe in 1997 and was asked many times to sit-in with Him while on tour with The HooDooman’s Band and Sandra Hall in Chicago, NYC and Philadelphia. In 2001 Jonny had to put down the Music to fight Cancer twice. Coming back to the Jersey Shore in 2006 He Reformed and Led, Juke Joint Jonny and The Usual Suspects Playing the Famous Tim McCloone’s Supper Club which morphed into a 14-piece Blues review from “Field hollers to swing” with Players that Included Sandy Mack, Chase Aceto (Tommy Dorsey) and many top-notch Sidemen.
Juke Joint Jonny signed With BLUESLEAF records in 2012 and His PURE AND SIMPLE Release of 10 Originals garnered Award Nominations including Acoustic album of the Year: Wasser Prada Magazine, IAMA Finalist: Roots and Blues Category single, GOING TO MISSISSIPPI and finished 83 on RMR’s top 100 of 2012.
Another cancer bout in 2017 and the Covid pandemic sidelined Jonny until this year. Releasing JUST FOLKIN AROUND is a Studio Overview of Jonny’s Live show using His Pure and Simple Producer Ben Bernstein, Drummer Mike Stevens and Indiana Bluesman, Steve Rusin. Jonny met Steve through Dublin Ireland’s DJ, NOEL CASEY (After Midnight, Dublin city FM) after doing a live show in 2013 and they are truly Kindred Spirits. Steve and Jonny collaborate on TERRE HAUTE BLUES with Steve on Guitar and Jonny Vocal, reaching back to a classic style, telling the story of a man with Dreams and of Recording at Paramount in Grafton, Wis. To escape a life of hard labor in the foundry on the Wabash River.