Johnny Laws facts for kids

Johnny Laws (born January 12, 1943) is an American Chicago blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He has been performing in Chicago's South Side clubs for over 50 years! Johnny Laws has released two albums. One of them, Burnin' in My Soul, was praised by Blues & Rhythm magazine in 1999. They said it was a "real shame" he hadn't been noticed more before, and called it an "enjoyable CD."

Johnny Laws is known for his amazing voice. His version of McKinley Mitchell's "End of the Rainbow" shows how well he can sing different notes and styles.

Life and Music Career

Johnny Laws was born in Chicago, Illinois, and has lived there his whole life. He started playing music and performing on the South Side of Chicago in the mid-1960s. For many years, he was mostly a local favorite.

He learned how to play Chicago blues by listening to famous musicians like Jimmy Reed and Buster Benton. Johnny Laws became well-known locally for his special singing voice, which could reach high notes (called a falsetto). He also knew a lot of songs. His music style mixes different types, from soul to older blues music, and sometimes even country music.

Besides playing regularly at a place called the Cuddle Inn, Johnny Laws has often performed at the yearly Chicago Blues Festival. He even had a show there in 2000. The magazine Living Blues also wrote about him in 1993.

Johnny Laws released his first album, My Little Girl, in 1995 with Wolf Records. This album included some well-known blues songs, but most of the songs were written by Johnny Laws himself.

His second album, Blues Burnin' in My Soul, came out in 1999 with Electro-Fi Records. This album featured his versions of songs by other artists. These included "Little by Little" by Junior Wells, "Steal Away" by Jimmy Hughes, and two songs by Jimmy Reed: "Honest I Do" and "Ain't That Lovin' You Baby." He also covered "Sadie," a song first recorded by Hound Dog Taylor.

In the fall of 1999, Juke Blues magazine wrote about Johnny Laws. They said he had a "smooth, silky voice" that could be almost a whisper, then rise high, and then become gentle again. They felt his singing seemed "deceptively effortless."

Music Albums

Discography

See also

• List of Chicago blues musicians
• List of electric blues musicians