Soul Blues Legend Johnny Rawls and the North State All Stars well come to Dunsmuir on Monday, July 3 at 7 pm to begin 4th of July festivities at Pops Performing Arts & Cultural Center in Dunsmuir. The North State All Stars include Harry Blackwell on guitar, Mark Grant on Bass, Allen Bradley on Drums, Derell Campbell on Saxophone, Victor Martin on Saxophone
Tickets available
Advanced tickets available for $15. They will be $20 at the door.
Johnny Rawls is from Purvis, Mississippi, a small town with about 2,000 residents near Hattiesburg. While still in high school he played guitar with soul music greats Little Johnny Taylor, The Sweet Inspirations, Joe Tex and ZZ Hill. Rawls hooked up with a true legend when he became bandleader for O.V. Wright, working and learning with the man many consider the finest deep soul singer of them all. After Wright died in 1980, Rawls led the O.V. Wright band for 13 years, touring and backing up B.B. King, Bobby “Blue” Bland and and Little Milton.
Johnny Rawls is on the tour that never ends. Since going out on his own, he’s been on a relentless jaunt from club to club, festival to festival, nation to nation. And the long road comes through Dunsmuir on Thursday, December 13, as Rawls comes to the POPS venue with his “Northern California All-stars.”. He will have spent November in Europe, and early December in Utah. Before December’s over he will also perform in Indiana, New York, and at Buddy Guy’s Legends in Chicago.
Johnny’s style of music can best be termed “soul blues,” and his warm, engaging manner draws the listener into his stories. The irony and glory of love give him plenty to sing about, and his show features his knockout guitar playing underlining his vocals. His recent album, Tiger in a Cage, went to number one on the Living Blues radio charts in its first month of release. He recently told me, “I’ve been playing around northern California for 15 years now, and it’s really a one-of-a-kind area. There’s some great people there, some great Blues fans. I love playing there.”
The North State All Stars are joining Johnny Rawls
We hope everyone comes out to see this real deal blues and soul legend playing with the Northstate All Stars.
We do have a ball when Johnny comes to town, and it’s a real-deal showcase for deep south soul and joy when his journey from Purvis comes through northern California.
