Blues & Bourbon: Tail Dragger ft. Johnny Burgin

Wed. May 11, 2022 at 5:30pm PDT
All Ages
Price: $23.00
All Ages
  • Get Tickets
  • Details
  • Comments
Event Stats
Price: $23.00
All Ages
Event Description
Blues & Bourbon: Tail Dragger ft. Johnny Burgin

The Starlet Room presents 


Blues & Bourbon: Tail Dragger ft. Johnny Burgin


Doors: 5:30pm / Show: 6:30pm


$23 General Admission - $20 Sac Blues Society


 

A very special Chicago Blues night!


Direct from Chicago! Tail Dragger


The hard living of six marriages, working as a mechanic during the day and singing long hours in ghetto clubs at night, not to mention LOTS of Old Grandad-- it clearly shows on blues singer Tail Dragger's face. And when he performs, you can see the joy in his face too. While Tail Dragger is now known and revered as an elder statesman of the blues from Brazil to Spain to Finland, back in 1966, Tail Dragger was just one of many Southern migrants to Chicago's West Side. At that time, the West Side was a blues hotbed, and legendary bluesman Howlin' Wolf was a strong neighborhood draw. Tail Dragger, known then as James Jones, was a blues fan from his childhood back in Altheimer, Arkansas, and went to see Howlin' Wolf every chance he could. Wolf took a liking to him and became his mentor, giving him his name "Tail Dragger" (because he was often late), teaching him to sing in time, and saying "One day this boy is gonna take my place." Over many years of playing in clubs, often with blues greats such as Hubert Sumlin, Lurrie Bell and Eddie Shaw, Tail Dragger not only absorbed the power of Howlin' Wolf's voice, but mastered his showmanship: walking through the crowd with feral energy, as much a shaman as a singer.


Johnny Burgin


Johnny Burgin was a college student at University of Chicago, djing at the college radio station WHKP. When a fellow dj took Johnny to see Tail Dragger perform, he got hooked on the blues. He wasn't that great on guitar, but he practiced and practiced, and kept coming back, until finally Tail Dragger gave him a spot in his band. Johnny developed under Tail Dragger's watchful eye and went on to perform often with Tail Dragger in Chicago and in Europe to this day. Since 1998, Johnny has released ten CDs and is featured on dozens more as a sideman, including "Howlin' at Greaseland" with Tail Dragger, which was nominated for a BMA for Best Traditional Blues CD in 2018. His "Johnny Burgin Live" was nominated for "Best Live Recording" by Blues Blast Magazine in 2020 and features Charlie Musselwhite, Aki Kumar and Nancy Wright. Johnny's now a full-fledged touring artist on his own, performing up to 200 shows a year worldwide. Johnny and Tail Dragger together will be a special musical reunion. https://johnnyburgin.com/

Comments
Select Tickets
Sorry, this event has already taken place.
Venue Details
Map of Venue Location.
The Starlet Room 2708 J Street
Sacramento, CA 95816
Join the Conversation

Follow the event with #thestarletroom