music.wikisort.org - Musician

Johnny Laws (born January 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]

Johnny Laws
Born	(1943-01-12) January 12, 1943 (age 79) Chicago, Illinois, United States
Genres	Chicago blues, electric blues[1]
Occupation(s)	Guitarist, singer, songwriter
Instrument(s)	Guitar, vocals
Years active	Mid-1960s–present
Labels	Wolf Records, Electro-Fi Records

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 on 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

• List of Chicago blues musicians
• List of electric blues musicians

References

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