JONY JAMES BLUES BAND

Distinctive, exciting and intelligent are the words that come to mind when asked to describe the songs, singing and guitar playing of Jony (pronounced John-nie) James. Born in Buffalo and raised in Chicago (where he played with Chicago Blues legends Eddie Taylor and J.B. Hutto), Jony learned Blues guitar listening to Albert King, Otis Rush, Buddy Guy and B.B. King. While these are influences, Jony’s Blues are his own.

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Jony James is overflowing with soul. It drips down from his hand onto his fingers, in lyrically urgent bends and intense ethereal assaults. It pours out through his weathered, leathery voice, telling vivid, open-minded tales of a tumultuous life, with his impressive song writing skills. His jovial, yet pensive nature is evident in both his music and his stage presence.

He is often compared to Stevie Ray Vaughn, however, his persistence on being “Jony” and playing Jony James’, original “Survival Blues”, a soulful mix of smoothness and sting, sets him apart from the rest of the Blues Shows.

Born in Buffalo, New York, Jony was raised in Chicago, which was full of Blues, Motown and Soul influences. B.B. King, Albert King, Otis Rush, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy and Jimi Hendrix, were among those influences and are evident in his playing.

By the age of 17, Jony was playing Blues clubs on the south side of Chicago, with local Blues legends such as Eddie Taylor, Willie Williams and J B Hutto, among others. After touring with Hutto and chasing Hendrix in Europe, Jony settled in Canada, playing with the Native American “Roadhouse Band from Six Nations” and finally the Matt Minglewood Band from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

In the 90’s, Jony returned to Buffalo and began playing and writing his own material as well as being front man for the Jony James Blues Band, formed in 1997, with bassist, Rod Horning and Kent “Boom Boom” Leech, on the drumsplaying his brand of “Survival Blues”.After independently producing and releasing three albums of original music, Blue Wave Records signed Jony and released “In This World” to international acclaim.Jony regularly plays an average of 225 shows a year up and down the East Coast and Mid Westwith the Jony James Blues Band.