Luther “Guitar Junior” Johnson and the Magic Rockers at the Griffin

Join the Griffin Museum of Photography, the Winchester Cultural District and Margo Cooper, our MC, as we host Luther “Guitar Junior” Johnson and the Magic Rockers.

On October 30^th at 6:30 PM, Luther “Guitar Junior” Johnson and his band, the Magic Rockers will be playing at the Griffin Museum of Photography in Winchester, MA on the Winchester Rotary Terrace. Luther and his band will play 2 sets. The event is limited seating in a tent on the terrace with open sides and heated. Registration to the event is required. Seats will be 3 feet apart. Once the limited seating is filled, we will offer limited seating on the lawn. If it is raining we will not offer lawn tickets. Registration for lawn seating is also required. The event is FREE however donations would be appreciated. A donation box will be available on the day of the event.

Music CDs and posters will be available with cash sales. No credit card payments available.

Luther “Guitar Junior” Johnson is one of the premier blues artists to emerge from Chicago’s music scene. Hailing from Itta Bena, Mississippi, Johnson arrived in Chicago in the mid-fifties a young man. At around the same time, the West Side guitar style, a way of playing alternating stinging single-note leads with powerful distorted chords, was being created mostly by Magic Sam and Otis Rush. Originally developed because their small bands could not afford both lead and rhythm guitar players, this style grew into an important contribution to modern blues and rock, influencing such notables as Eric Clapton and Mark Knopfler. In the 1960’s “Guitar Junior” played with Magic Sam, whose West side style remains integral to Johnson’s sound today. He was a major player in Muddy Waters Band from 1972 1980. In 1976 he cut his own debut album, “Luther’s Blues,” during a European tour with Muddy. By 1980 he was on his own, recording with the Nighthawks as well as four tracks on Alligator’s second series of “Living Chicago Blues” anthologies.

With his own band, the Magic Rockers, Johnson has released numerous albums on several labels: Rooster Blues, Rounder Records’ Bullseye Blues, and Telarc. Johnson remained productive in 2020 despite Covid. He recorded an acoustic album at his home in Florida and later recorded a performance with his band in St. Petersburg, Florida on October 31^st.

No stranger to critical acclaim, “Guitar Junior” has captured numerous awards throughout his career. His live rendition of “Walking the Dog,”, was included on the Atlantic Records collection Blues Explosion, which captured a Grammy Award in 1984. In 1999 Luther’s second Telarc release, “Got To Find A Way”, was nominated for a Grammy as Best Traditional Blues Album. Johnson’s super-charged performances consistently thrilled audiences in the world’s leading concert halls, including Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center and Radio City Music Hall, and at festivals, tours, and shows in Europe, Central America, Turkey, Shanghai, China, throughout America and Canada.  During his association with Muddy Waters, Johnson also shared the stage with The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, The Allman Brothers, Johnny Winter and he made a guest appearance in the movie “The Blues Brothers”.

Johnson is capping off his 2021 visit to New England with a special performance at the Griffin before he heads back home to Florida.

We hope you will join us on the 30^thas we celebrate the Griffin with Luther “Guitar Junior” Johnson and the Magic Rockers.

Bring your proof of registration with you to the event.

We will be collecting food donations for the En Ka‘s Pantry at this event. Please share with our neighbors in need. Suggested donations are oil, vinegar, rice, cereal, peanut butter, jelly, canned tuna or chicken.