Boca Blues Festival 2024

John Primer has undisputedly helped build the sound and style of Chicago blues as we know it today. The echos 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.

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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 the Legendary Muddy Waters! 

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Moving to Chicago in 1963, he started on that path of becoming a great bluesman, 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! 

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John paid his dues and in 1995 he began leading his own band, The Real Deal Blues Band. He has been recorded more than 87 albums with 17 albums in his own name. He has written and produced more than 55 songs on more than 6 record labels including his own, Blues House Productions. Earning 2 Grammy Award nominations, given 2 Lifetime Achievement Awards, inducted into the Chicago Blues Hall of Fame, awarded the "Muddy Award" for being a traditional blues icon, winning a Blues Music Award, Blues Blast Awards and countless other awards, John Primer is a legendary Chicago Blues Icon!

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Because he was born in Mississippi on sharecropper land John has blues running in his veins and is called "The Real Deal". His upbringing was hard. He lived in a shack on sharecropper land on the Mansell Plantation with his entire family. He shared a bed with his cousins where you could look through the cracks in the ceiling and see the moon and stars. They had no running water just a well they shared a mile away.

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At the age of eighteen, John’s mother came and got him as promised. He finally got out of there and migrated to Chicago in the fall of 1963. He quickly found work at the legendary Maxwell Street with Pat Rushing and the Maintainers Band in an era when Chicago’s modern electric blues sounds were first taking shape.

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In 1978-79, master songwriter and bassist Willie Dixon invited him to join his band The Chicago All Stars. Traveling through the US, Mexico and Europe, John developed his skills as a rhythm guitarist, a powerful singer, and songwriter. Then in 1980 John’s dreams came true when Muddy Waters recruited John not only as a guitarist, but also as an opening act and bandleader.

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John’s albums have been nominated by the Recording Academy and the National Blues Foundation. They have won three Blues Blast Awards, two Living Blues Awards as well numerous yearly nominations.