Johnny Drummer "It's So Nice"
  • I Wanna Get In Your Head, Before I Get In Your Bed
  • I'm Not Gonna Give You Up
  • Knockin' At Your Door
  • It's So Nice
  • I'll Find A Way
  • I Got A Problem In My Home
  • Blue Collar Man
  • Tag On Your Toe
  • I Can't Stand The Rain
  • A Woman, A Lover, A Friend
  • I Got A Love
  • Give Me A Sign
  • I'm Trapped
  • Dragnet
  • I Wanna Get In Your Head, Before I Get In Your Bed
    Genre: Blues
    MP3 (04:11) [9.58 MB]
  • I'm Not Gonna Give You Up
    Genre: Blues
    MP3 (04:35) [10.49 MB]
  • Knockin' At Your Door
    Genre: Blues
    MP3 (04:48) [10.97 MB]
  • It's So Nice
    Genre: Blues
    MP3 (05:03) [11.57 MB]
  • I'll Find A Way
    Genre: Blues
    MP3 (04:05) [9.33 MB]
  • I Got A Problem In My Home
    Genre: Blues
    MP3 (04:18) [9.84 MB]
  • Blue Collar Man
    Genre: Blues
    MP3 (03:18) [7.55 MB]
  • Tag On Your Toe
    Genre: Blues
    MP3 (05:01) [11.5 MB]
  • I Can't Stand The Rain
    Genre: Blues
    MP3 (04:00) [9.17 MB]
  • A Woman, A Lover, A Friend
    Genre: Blues
    MP3 (04:01) [9.2 MB]
  • I Got A Love
    Genre: Blues
    MP3 (04:22) [10.02 MB]
  • Give Me A Sign
    Genre: (Choose a Genre)
    MP3 (04:51) [11.12 MB]
  • I'm Trapped
    Genre: Blues
    MP3 (04:39) [10.66 MB]
  • Dragnet
    Genre: Blues
    MP3 (04:46) [10.93 MB]
Biography
For more information, contact:
Michael Frank, CEO
Earwig Music Company, Inc.
2054 W. Farwell Ave.
Chicago, IL 60645
e-mail mfrank@earwigmusic.com
office phone 773-262-0278
Click here to go to Earwig Music Company

Johnny Drummer was born Thessex Johns on March 1, 1938 in Alligator, Mississippi, a small town twelve miles south of Clarksdale in the heart of the Delta. There he saw musicians like Little Milton and Ike Turner every weekend, and listened to his three brothers play hollow-box guitars on long summer nights, learning all the blues, r&b, and soul songs of the time. Soon he began singing, and at age seven joined the Kelly Brothers Band in Alligator.

His career as a musician expanded when he joined the Army and learned to play drums. In his three-year army career, he sat in on drums with bands that came around, honing his skills as a musician. Upon leaving the military in 1959, he moved to Chicago, where he began sitting in with Lovie Lee, Big Walter Horton, and Carey Bell at a bar on the corner near his house. He soon began playing drums in Lovie’s band, and later moved on to play with guitarist Eddie King.

In 1962 he cut a record for Wonderful Records, which featured Eddie King, Willie Black, Roy Johnson, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith and Otis Spann. In 1965 he got the chance to play with BB King at a Chicago club when BB’s drummer failed to show up for the gig. In 1966 he went to see Muddy Waters, and was asked to sit in on bass. He was later asked to tour with Muddy, but declined his offer, uneasy at the prospect of life on the road. He started his band and gained local notoriety in the late 1960s as the leader of a band hired by touring soul blues acts passing through Chicago. In the 1960s he taught himself to play the electronic keyboard and now makes this his primary instrument, although he also plays harmonica, guitar, bass and drums.

From 1996 to 2015, Johnny released four albums on the Earwig Music label. For over 50 years, he performed regularly at Chicago venues, in addition to performing internationally at festivals and blues clubs, including acclaimed performances at the Chicago Blues Festival, Pocono Blues Festival, University of Illinois Blues Festival, and several others in the US, Canada, and Europe.

Johnny moved to Horn Lake, Mississippi in 2017 and can be seen performing in the Mississippi delta at Red's in Clarksdale and at other festivals and events.
17
  • Members:
    Johnny Drummer
  • Sounds Like:
    Soulful Blues and R&B from the South Side of Chicago
  • Influences:
    Bobby Bland, Tyrone Davis, Johnnie Taylor, Al Green
  • AirPlay Direct Member Since:
    01/05/17
  • Profile Last Updated:
    05/26/24 13:56:38

"Radio Creds" are votes awarded to artists by radio programmers who have downloaded their music and have been impressed with the artist's professionalism and the audience's response to the new music. Creds help artists advance through the AirPlay Direct community.


Only radio accounts may add a Radio Cred. One week after the track has been downloaded the radio account member will receive an email requesting a Cred for each artist they've downloaded.