Johnny Drummer @ Lee’s Unleaded
There’s a reason why we send early buses to Lee’s Unleaded Blues. Johnny Drummer & the Starliters have held the weekend set at Lee’s for 13 years, an eternity with the fickle blues audience, and it’s usually standing-room only by the end of the first set. He’s a crowd-pleaser, switching between keyboards and harmonica, wandering the audience as a vocalist, and clowning just enough before he calls up local luminaries that add special flavor to the show. He’s put out 3 well-received CDs on the Earwig label, and tours overseas frequently, so Chicago fans are lucky to see him in such an intimate venue as the historic, cozy Lee’s Unleaded, a lounge which dates to the 60s, when it was called the Queen Bee and featured Muddy Waters and Lefty Dizz, among others. It now fashions itself as “Chicago’s modern juke joint” and is one of the more popular southside hangouts.
(7:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.)
Lee’s will be featuring Johnny on the Spring 2009 Chicago Blues Tour, May 16th. You can still get tickets for the early departures that get you out in the smaller clubs like Lee’s before the “regulars” show up and it gets crowded. He’s one of three performers who perform classic blues on the Tour, which also features Deak Harp and Taildragger.
Johnny Drummer VIDEO:
Johnny Drummer Live at Lee’s Unleaded 11/07/08
AUDIO: Click below to hear one of Johnny’s Earwig recordings:
Johnny Drummer Take Care of Your Homework
