John Primer • Chicago and Electric Blues plus Bob Corritore on Harp Arena Theater Live • Saturday, November 19
Great Blues Music returns to the coast on Saturday, November 19 at 7:30pm when John Primer brings his Chicago and electric blues to the stage at Arena Theater. Joining him will be harpist Bob Corritore. Advance tickets are $25, and are available online at arenatheater.org or at the door.
As John Primer says, "you can’t paint the blues without the primer!" Primer has undisputedly helped build the sound and style of Chicago blues as we know it today. The echoes of tradition bellowing from the birthplaces he played such as Maxwell Street, Theresa’s, Checkerboard and Rosa’s Lounges, pulse from every chord in his fingers today. John Primer is a Chicago Blues Living Legend.
Growing up on Mississippi sharecropper land in 1945, inspired by his family’s hard work and field songs daily, deep devotion to spirituals on Sundays, and blues on Saturdays, John dreamed of one day playing with Muddy Waters.
Moving to Chicago in 1963, he started on that path of becoming a great blues man, getting his first steady gig at the legendary Maxwell Street in Chicago on Sunday’s and at the famous Theresa’s Lounge seven nights a week for seven years. John was taught by the founding fathers of the blues. Starting out with his own band the Maintainers with Pat Rushing on Maxwell Street, he then moved on to play with Sammy Lawhorn and Junior Wells at Theresa’s Lounge. He worked hard and impressed Willie Dixon enough to tour with him and his Chicago Blues All-Stars Band. At this point he was known and John’s dream finally came true in 1981 when he got to play with his idol, Muddy Waters. Muddy called for him to lead his band and changed his life forever. After Muddy’s untimely death, he joined up with Magic Slim & The Teardrops for the next 14 years, traveling all over the world.
John paid his dues and in 1995 he began leading his own band, The Real Deal Blues Band. He has recorded and released 17 albums, and been a featured player on 70 more. He's received two Grammy Award nominations, been given two Lifetime Achievement Awards, inducted into the Chicago Blues Hall of Fame and received many more awards and nominations.
Harp player Bob Corritore has produced three of John’s CD’S and will be recording another one on this tour.
The Arena Theater bar and snack stand will be open. All Covid restrictions have been removed.
