The NCPA Soulful Blues Festival is back for its third edition and promises to bring in the crowds to watch three great performers. The three day all American lineup features Detroit’s ‘Queen of the Blues’ – Thornetta Davis, award winning singer Tia Carroll, and Alvon Johnson regarded as the ‘King of the Blues’ and the ‘Ambassador of the Blues’ in Russia.
Johnson started his career as a child singing Gospel music, touring with a band and at the same time looking after his family. It was a stroke of luck that made him into a fully fledged blues artist when the offer came in. He went on to play with top line bands at that time and was former vocalist of the Rock and Roll Hall of fame group The Coasters.
Today, Johnson is an incredibly talented versatile musician, singer, and entertainer known for his comic style on stage, regaling the audience with his music and humor. He has played jazz standards and big band performances, and is known to switch from rock and roll classics to blues standards with practiced ease. Besides multiple awards for his musical work, in 2005 he was voted Blues Guitar Player of the Year. His debut CD, ‘The Blues Grew Up’, was nominated for Outstanding Blues Album for 2004 and was also voted one of the top ten CDs in Japan, while ‘Guitars and Cars’, was voted in the top ten CD’s of 2008 by the prestigious Blues magazine “Real Blues”.
In a conversation with the Free Press Journal, Alvon talks about what audiences can expect at his show on March 14 at the NCPA Soulful Blues and more.
Excerpts from the interview:
Was the blues the first genre with which you started their singing career, or did other musical genres interest you?
I would have to say that Gospel music came first. My mother insisted that my sister and I would be in our church choir. I believe I was around six at the time. Our participation was mandatory, and my mother was always there to make sure we did what we were supposed to do. Because I came up in the fifties, Doo Woo was the big thing at that time. Everyone was harmonizing back then. So, my sister and brothers and I would gather and hit a few notes. Nothing serious, mind you. We were just having fun.
How then, did you discover your passion for the blues?
I was touring overseas quite a bit doing top 40 music in a show band called The Sunset Band in the early 80’s. We had just returned to Los Angeles after one great tour of Malaysia and Singapore. At that time my children needed their dad around more, so I started looking for a way to be there and to continue to pursue my dream to make a living as a musician. At that time, I was offered a gig with a brilliant singer/entertainer by the name of Sterling Harrison. It was a blues gig. The problem was, I was not a blues guitar player. I could make bluesy sounds on my guitar but, I was not a serious blues cat. I learned very quickly that people are very serious about the Blues. So, I worked very hard to be worthy and to earn my place on that gig.
Going back a bit into the early days of your career, you were a vocalist in the Rock and Roll Hall Fame group The Coasters. How did you get chosen to be a part of this group?
I was lucky. I was working with the Drifters in the early eighties on a tour called ‘Yesterday Today and Forever’ which consisted of about ten different 50’s and 60’s groups like The Shirells, The Coasters, Gary US Bond, Bowser and others. It was a three-week tour with lots of shows and lots of friendly rivalry. Long story short, we talked, an opening occurred, and I was hired.
Who were your blues musical inspirations?
John Lee Hooker, Little Milton, Albert Freddie and BB King, Bob Blue Bland, Muddy Waters, Jimmy Hendrix.
What do the lyrics in your songs usually speak about?
Love, Love Lost, Politics, Life, my observations, and instrumentals based on my feelings at the time.
You are labeled as “The King of the Blues”. How do you go about making your performance stand out from the rest of blues artistes?
Just being myself.
On that note, how excited are you to perform in India for the very first time at the NCPA Soulful Blues?
I’m very much excited. I have been hoping for an opportunity to visit this great country with its rich history for a long time.
What can the audience expect at your show on the 14th of March 2025? Who are your backing musicians accompanying you on this tour?
I am so fortunate to have four incredibly talented musicians to help me bring joy through music. We will not only play the Blues but, we shall bring several styles of music designed to touch people’s souls. On saxophone, I will present the incredible artist Stage Wilson. He is a jazz cat who can bring it with class and power. On keyboards I will present Willis Hickerson. He is a master of Gospel music. On drums I will share with India the Funk Master Kevin Blackmon. On bass guitar I will present Ron Perry, the Blues master. He was the bass player for John Lee Hooker for years.
We understand that you bring in a sense of humor on stage. How do you blend this in your performance?
I do it by showing my humanity and vulnerability. Humor flows from me when I perform. I tell people that I just get on stage and share my joy.
Your son is also a comedian by profession. Have you ever thought of doing standup comedy?
Standup comedy is very difficult. I considered it at one point, because I was surrounded by art. I used to work with the late great comedian Robin Harris every Wednesday night at a nightclub in Los Angeles called the Page Four. He would perform and of course all the young lions would come out to show their skills. Now HE was funny. Every Monday night I would work with another great comedian at a different club called Freddie Jetts Pied Piper. His name was Renaldo Rey. Renaldo was funny, clean or dirty. He could tell the same joke every night and it would always be funny. Renaldo and Robin would have us play music behind them sometimes to accent a punch line, sometimes just for the intermission. I got a chance to watch great comedians up close. My son, BJ Johnson is very funny.
What have you heard about India over the years?
I know that it is rich in culture and history. I love history and I seek knowledge at every turn. I embrace new experiences, and I am aware of some of the history of your great country.
Have you heard of any Indian blues artists?
I do have the pleasure of calling Aki Kumar a friend, but I am looking forward to hopefully meeting more when we arrive.
What advice would you give to aspiring blues musicians looking to make their mark, be it in India or anywhere in the world?
Keep your day job. I have been doing music for a living since 1982, and I have learned how to save and invest. This is a business. When you commit to this life, treat it like a business. Learn your craft and take some business classes.
What do you plan to do on your short visit to Mumbai and what memories do you wish to take back?
Given the time, I would like to visit Elephanta Island.
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