Cool John Ferguson facts for kids

Cool John Ferguson, born on December 3, 1953, is an amazing American blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He has released five albums of his own music. He has also played on about twenty other albums for different artists. Cool John is the Director of Creative Development for the Music Maker Relief Foundation. He is known for playing his guitar "upside down."

Famous musician Taj Mahal once said that Cool John Ferguson is "among the five greatest guitarists in the world." He even compared him to legendary guitarists like Jimi Hendrix, Wes Montgomery, and Django Reinhardt. Cool John has played guitar for many famous artists. These include Taj Mahal, B.B. King, Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne, Beverly Watkins, and the Stylistics.

Cool John's Early Life and Music Journey

Cool John Ferguson was born in Beaufort, South Carolina, in the United States. His father, John Wesley Ferguson, was a church leader. His mother, Martha Jenkins Ferguson, came from Saint Helena Island. This connection to the Gullah culture was very important in Cool John's life.

He started learning to play the guitar when he was only three years old. He was so small that someone had to hold him on their lap while he played! Cool John is naturally left-handed. So, he learned to play a right-handed guitar by holding it upside down. Just two years later, at age five, he was already playing gospel music professionally. He and his sisters performed as 'Little John and the Ferguson Sisters'. They were even featured on a radio show called "The Lowcountry Sing" in Charleston, South Carolina.

In the early 1960s, he learned more about music. He would secretly listen to a radio station called WAPE, "the Big Ape," from Jacksonville, Florida. When he went to Beaufort High School, Cool John played the trumpet in the marching band. This helped him learn to read music. By 1972, he joined a jazz group called the Earl Davis Trio. After that, he spent five years playing with Stephen Best and the Soul Crusaders. They performed all over South Carolina. He also played music at special church events and recorded music with LaFace Records.

Growing Up and Finding His "Cool" Name

When he was younger, Cool John also worked in landscaping and construction. This helped him earn money in addition to his music. He moved to live near Durham, North Carolina for a while. It was there that people started calling him "Cool John." He said that local people would notice his "cool walk" and "cool talk." So, they just called him "Cool John."

Besides playing in the studio for other musicians, Cool John started performing under his own name. He has traveled widely to play his music. Some of the big festivals he has played at include the Byron Bay Bluesfest and the Lucerne Blues Festival in Switzerland. He also performed at the Savannah Music Festival and the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York. Cool John still stays connected to his roots. He often plays on Saturday nights at the All People's Grill, a roadhouse north of Durham, North Carolina.

Helping Others Through Music Maker

Almost 25 years ago, Cool John was asked to join a new group called the Music Maker Relief Foundation. This happened at the Penn Center on Saint Helena Island. Since the 1990s, Cool John Ferguson has worked as the Director of Creative Development for Music Maker. This means he helps other musicians.

In 2003, Cool John performed at the AmeriServ Johnstown Folkfest. In the early 2000s, he released several albums with Music Maker. These included Guitar Heaven, a holiday album called Cool Yule, and Cool John Ferguson. In 2007, Cool John moved to Atlanta with his wife. There, he started his own record label called Cool John Recordings. His album With These Hands was the first one released on his new label. This album had fifteen original songs. Ten of them included his singing. The music mixed blues, R&B, funk, rock, and even some Latin sounds.

Living Blues magazine recognized Cool John Ferguson as the 'Most Outstanding Guitarist' for two years in a row. Through his work with Music Maker, he has helped many lesser-known blues, folk, and country artists record their albums. Many of these artists were older and had been playing music for a long time. He also played in a fundraiser for the Music Maker Foundation in Washington, D.C., with Ironing Board Sam. Cool John was also featured in a photo story called "Music Makers," which appeared in Garden & Gun magazine. He even appeared in a documentary film called Toot Blues (2008). This film was about how the Music Maker Relief Foundation started.

In 2011, when fellow Beaufort native Joe Frazier passed away, Cool John played an electric version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park. Today, Cool John still plays music regularly. He performs in two churches in Atlanta every Sunday. You can often see him wearing his special flat-brimmed stetson hat. He continues to play his Fender Stratocaster guitar upside down, just as he always has.

Cool John's Albums

See also

• List of electric blues musicians