1991 - Best Horns
Article Reprint from the April 2001 BluesNotes
By: LynnAnn Hyde
For many of us, the CBA is our initial exposure to Blues music, the community which supports it and the artists and entertainers that create and perform it. We sometimes take for granted the truly outstanding musicianship of the veteran players (maybe because they are consistently excellent), in favor of the spark and flurry of the up-and-coming, Some of us tend to equate promotional press with critical review. Some of us subscribe to the "Name Theorem" i.e., if you see someone's name A LOT, they must be good. I hope to dispel the belief that name recognition is tantamount to talent and that critical review is synonymous with bad review.
The first time I heard Johnnie Ward perform, I knew he was the
"real deal". Although it took me years to get to know him, it will only take you a few minutes to read this article. It is my hope that
Johnnie Ward is a name we all say often and with much love and respect. It is a great honor for me to write about this extraordinary musician, composer, American Folk Artist, and native Portlander.
Johnnie Ward is a "living study" of the Northwest Roots & Blues
Movement with nearly 40 years of performance art to his credit. It is my pleasure to "introduce" him to those of you Unfamiliar with this special musician and to remind the rest of us just what a "treasure" he truly is.
John was born at Emanuel Hospital, right here in Portland. While still a toddler, he would choose the 78's (vinyl records) his family would listen to. As a youngster, John lived in Chicago and Tennessee for about a year and it was there that he heard Leadbelly and Sonny Terry (Terrance Saunders) on local radio stations. Those artists' "sounds" stuck with him, even after his family had returned to Portland. It was during the mid-to-late '50s when John really started to pay attention to music and began to actively seek out Blues music. One unlikely place where he found the Blues was on local DJ, Pat Patee's, show (on pop music station KISN), during the early '60s.
"Pat used to sneak in at least one Blues tune each set." John tells me with a serious expression on his face." I would stay up real late just to hear one more Blues tune. I first heard Little Walter's, "Blue Lights", on Pat's show. I can still remember it..." Johnnie has the look of a wistful poet when he recalls the moment. I can see that John also has profound respect for Pat Patee and, according to John's first-hand experience, Portland owes a lot to Pat for risking his neck to get the Blues on-air. The year was 1962.
By the time John had graduated from high school, he was performing in the infamous U.S. Cadenza Band. That band also featured Steve Bradley and Turtle van Demarr. Although they were all teenage kids, their music was solid and they were dedicated to opening up a music scene. By the mid-'60s, all three of these guys had already made a mark on the NW scene and a lasting impression in the hearts of their audiences and growing fan base.
But, Johnnie was already moving on and had begun to perform on a regular basis with the PH Phactor Jug Band. Between those two ensembles, Johnnie Ward opened for Moby Grape, The Grateful Dead, Pentangle, The Doors, and several other top touring bands.
"You know, somebody from The Grateful Dead told me that Pig Pen
(harp player for The Dead) refused to play after my opening set."
John chuckles as he continues. "I guess we were pretty lucky to get all those gigs. Seems like we opened up for anybody who came to town .... we were just kids and really excited about music. I went to San Francisco in '68 and got to play with Mike
Bloomfield. I really liked Paul Butterfield's sound, but was totally unprepared for the type of music they
(Bloomfield et at) were playing. Nobody in Portland was playing that type of music. It was inspiring to me, but very frustrating. My exposure to Blues was one
Muddy Waters record and what I could get on the radio. I guess I played that
Muddy Waters record to death. I still play it...." John also remembers 1968 as the year his son,
Jacob Walter, was born. John enjoys a close relationship with his family and spends time with them whenever possible.
Johnnie continued to play with the jug band, but eventually joined up with The Fly-by-Night Jass Band, again with old friend Turtle van Demarr. John met Earl Benson (legendary Jazz vocalist) in the early '60s, and was really focused on Jazz and Jug harmonica styles and thinking about studying other instruments. Johnnie was part of the very first act that resuscitated a long dead musical venue in Portland (the Blues club) in 1970. The Fly-by-Night Jass Band was the first act to play The White Eagle, and The White Eagle was the first post-war Portland Blues club. (During the first 40 years of the 20th Century, there were a number of Blues and Jazz clubs all over Portland, particularly in North Portland. They all went under before the '60s revitalized Blues with Rock covers of Blues songs.)
"Back then, there was no music allowed at all in taverns or bars. You had to have a cabaret license. The "Store Front Theater" was right up the street and we would get a good crowd coming over from there and staying at The Eagle until we finished playing. The folks from that time helped to change the laws regulating live music. Their support of what we were doing at The White Eagle in '69 and '70 really shaped things for great music, to be featured at neighborhood taverns and everywhere," Johnnie tells me. "It was during the very early '70s that I heard of the project Paul deLay was involved with. I heard he was doing Chicago Blues. It was very exciting for all of us who loved Blues, because there were so few musicians in town who could play Blues."
It was during that time John began to study saxophone. He had been playing diatonic and chromatic harmonica for about eight years, continuing to narrow his focus from contemporary to traditional forms of American music. His start with the U.S. Cadenza Band playing Blues-based Rock had prepared him for the Jug and Rag styles he pursued with PH Phactor and The Fly-by-Night Jass Band. In turn, Earl Benson influenced him into playing traditional and Jazz standards on harmonica and chromatic harmonica, opening the door for his further study of Jazz and utilizing his musicianship for the task of learning a new instrument, the saxophone.
"I was playing a lot of traditional music, particularly Rag and Jazz, when I met up with Tom McFarland (Arhoolie recording artist). I began playing harmonica in his band, and before long, I was also playing sax on quite a few songs. That was when I really started to apply musical disciplines to my harp playing. I did some recording and some commercials for both radio and television. I guess you could say that the '70s were my great "teaming" years. There still wasn't much of a Blues scene going on, but I'd been slipping in Muddy's tunes for years and people seemed to enjoy the straight ahead Blues as much as they liked the Jug, Rag, and Jazz stuff," Johnnie says with an almost child-like glee. He continues, "I was also getting into the antique and collectibles business. I was running into wonderful old recordings, collecting them, studying them and learning all I could from them. I also got into the resale of vintage instruments and amplification devices. I think it was at that time I dedicated myself to the task of learning music and choosing the lifestyle of the musician. I also began to write a lot of music. " John seems to be reliving a lost moment before he speaks again. "There were several musicians at that time who were purveyors of vintage instruments. I guess I fit in with that crowd and before I knew it, I had accumulated a treasure trove of unusual traditional and vintage instruments. I still deal in vintage and antique musical instruments and whatnot. It's my connection with antique dealers that has set me up with a number of gigs over the years. I enjoy playing "old time" music, traditional Jazz, Jass, Blues and "Hokum". My interest in the past, combined with my expertise in those musical genres, just kind of merged into what I do." Johnnie told me he is still working at Really Good Stuff, on SE Division (phone, (503) 238-1838) a couple of days each week and continues to collect and sell privately.
During the late '70s, Johnnie Ward was playing sax and harmonica in one of Portland's most renowned Rock bands ever, Rhonda Kennedy's Drivin' Sideways. He missed playing traditional music and, even more than that, John wanted to front his own Blues band. He kept on with Kennedy's outfit until the opportunity to play Blues presented itself in the form of The Knobb Hill Tavern in 1982. It was at Knobb Hill that JW'S Big City Blues Band debuted and reigned supreme over the Portland music scene. That was John's very first all Blues band and the first band he ever fronted.
"There still wasn't much of a Blues scene happening. Paul (deLay) sure had it going on. Guys like Lloyd Jones were experimenting with ensembles and he and I had a duo going, as well as our respective bands. Still, we were struggling for venues and a market. Things really started to pick up after Mark Goldfarb started the CBA, but even before then, Paul Connors and Pete Karnes were doing a lot to get the Blues out. They put on several large events and opened up quite a few venues for Blues. Paul Connors started the Blues Festival here in Portland. It was called "The Underground Blues Fest" and, of course, the brand new CBA helped to get it into the limelight, but Connors started it in '84. After that, things really started to heat up. Goldfarb and the CBA were real helpful to me and they booked my act for many of their events. I tried to help out whenever I could and played a number of last minute gigs, as well as my regular bookings for the organization. By then, I had already done the Mayor's Ball several times, The Bite, The Rose Festival, and most of the annual musical events in the area." John reminisces about those early days of The Waterfront Blues Festival, and comments on the outstanding musicianship featured there year after year.
"I had Johnnie and the Jokers from the late-'80s through the mid-'90s.
The Jokers helped me to continue focusing my energy on Blues and we did the very first
Art Quake, all the regional festivals, opened up the Main Branch
Library, as well as the opening act for national touring acts. We opened up for
Elvin Bishop and Lonnie Brooks in concert. Those were real good times for me. I made a lot of good friends and musical partners and from the early-'60s right up to today, you can see those relationships growing ... still making music..."
Johnnie trails off...
John shows me a press release from 1992 with quotes from several great local musicians. "The first time I saw Ward play was during the mid-'60s ... Even then, he played as well or better than many of the premier harp players on the national scene ... He will always be known as the Founding Father of NW Blues Harp..." (Jim Mesi). "Johnnie is a talented player... doesn't copy anyone... a real talent." (Curtis Salgado). "He's the one who turned us on to the Blues .... the first time we heard him play, we wanted him in our band..." (Steve Bradley).
It was during the mid-'80s that John started playing stringed instruments. "I had to learn guitar in self-defense," John says with a grin. "But, that made me a better harp and sax player. It gave me a better understanding of how songs work, how they flow. Playing guitar gave me better communication skills musically and allowed me to have more control over what was being played in my band." John continues to play guitar and Resophonic guitar, along with harmonica, chromatic harmonica, saxophone and saxello.
Some of you may know that I am a student of free reed instruments, and a very vocal advocate for traditional music. My devotion to traditional music educational programs extends to all of the various forms of the genre, but particularly to Blues. Johnnie Ward is one of many musicians who is deserving of recognition for his outstanding contributions to our rich musical history. His technical abilities are of the highest caliber. His efforts at authentic reproductions of Classic, Hokum, Jug and Rag styles have helped to keep those musical styles from fading into obscurity and fading from our local and regional venues. John tells me he is continuing his Hokum act with the fabulous Jack Cook (The Phantoms of Soul) and will be doing a couple of big events in Seattle with Jack this month. Johnnie also played at Bill Rhoade's Harp Summit in February (he has played at several of Rhoade's harmonica events over the years), and the Blues In Schools (BIS) Winter Harp Blast, (with Jim Wallace, Rob Landahl, Tim O'Hare, Josh Valero and yours truly) last December. John was also our featured BIS presenter in January, and our "Third Sunday" clinic host in January.
Johnnie Ward and Whit Draper have a wonderful duo going on and you can catch them alternating weekends at The Decoy Saloon (Hwy. 30, Linnton) and at other venues here in town. John still plays at Kelly's with the incomparable Earl Benson, and also with Whit. He keeps up with The Belmont Street Octet every Sunday at the Laurelthirst Pub, and for you folks out on the Coast, John regularly performs with The Bond St. Blues Band at many diverse venues, including a monthly gig at The Wet Dog, in Astoria.
Johnnie Ward wants to remind all of us that "Life is supposed to be fun. Music is fun! Don't take it so seriously that you're not having a good time. You should have a good time playing and listening." And, coming from this CBA "Muddy Award" winner , I'd say that is some sound advice.
Johnnie is a featured artist on Flying Heart Record's, "Blues From the Rose City", circa 1998 and also on UnderCover Record's, "Blues From the Pacific Delta", circa 1996. Both of those fine recordings can be purchased at Locals Only, or online at Cductive.com. You can find him on Jack Cook's up-coming CD, and he is also on the CBA's recording of the First Annual Blues Heritage Acoustic Roots and Blues Festival 2000, which will be released early this summer. Many of John's earlier recordings are difficult (if not impossible!) to find, but they include the "Rose City Blues Festival" cassette (1987), "Johnnie and the Jokers" (1989) and other commercially produced recordings, advertisements, and television and radio soundtracks.
When pressed for a final quote, John looks thoughtful and then intones, "Listen to the real thing. Dig deep. Support traditional music and the venues that feature it." Then he smiles that contagious grin and adds, "And you kids out there, STAY IN SCHOOL!"
For those of you interested in John's upcoming performances, his vintage recordings and instrument business, or the purchase of any of his recordings, please call this local voice messaging center: (503) 790-7099.
© 2001 Cascade Blues Association