In 1953 Carlos Johnson was born in Chicago and spent his childhood living in both Tennessee and the Windy City. He was the oldest of five children.
At 5 years old he surprised his parents by making music on a 4 string toy guitar that was laying around the house. His Mother announced “This child has music in him.” and soon he was given a real six string guitar but it was missing the high E string and Carlos could not afford one. So he became fluent on a 5 string until a guitar playing neighbor gave him the sixth string.
By the time he got to high school he was a budding musician who joined the Glee Club and began learning vocal technique alongside Sheila Hutchinson, another up and coming vocalist. They both played the school talent show, Carlos playing the R&B hit dance songs of that time such as The Uncle Willie and Twine Time. Sheila’s band was Sheila Hutchinson and the Chandeliers. Sheila would later be the lead vocalist and one of the songwriters for iconic R&B band The Emotions.
Carlos left high school to pursue a career in music and was in bands that played top 40 pop and R&B.
He then enlisted in the military and spent the next few years serving in the army.
In the late 70’s Carlos would rehearse with his friends at their house and one day as they were on the porch taking a break they were approached by a neighborhood kid who said the owner of the local pool hall was looking for a guitarist. That turned out to be Pop Taylor the husband of Chicago’s queen of the Blues Koko Taylor. Carlos got the audition and immediately went out on the road with Koko. This was the beginning of his tenure on the Chicago Blues scene.
After playing with Koko for a couple of years, Carlos started hanging out at the fabled Blues club, Brady’s Lounge, on 45th and State Street. It was there that he started working with Chicago legend Little Johnny Christian. He shared guitar duties with Vance Kelly and jammed with all the legendary Blues people that frequented the Southside Blues clubs such as Buddy Guy and Junior Wells, Otis Rush, Lefty Dizz and Son Seals, who took Carlos out on the road with him. During this period Carlos became a very sought after sideman who played behind many women Blues singers starting with Queen Sylvia Embry. In 1984 he joined forces with Billy Branch, the leader of the Sons of Blues. They toured extensively and recorded the critically acclaimed album Where’s My Money? Billy and Carlos would play together on and off for the next 40 years, recording several more projects on various labels.
From the mid 80’s on Carlos worked with a who’s who of Chicago Blues artists: Valerie Wellington, Big Time Sarah, Barbara Leshore, JW Williamson, Bonnie Lee and JW Williamson and the Chitown Hustlers among many others.
In 1989 Carlos started touring Poland and began a love affair with Polish Blues fans that has lasted to the present day. At this time he formed the Serious Blues Band and played regularly at all the showcase Blues clubs on the north side of Chicago.
Over two generations of guitar players have been influenced by the passionate, funky, sometimes jazzy, sometimes rocked up, sometimes pyrotechnical and always Bluesy guitar stylings of Mr. Johnson. One of the finest band leaders in Chicago Carlos has a generation of sidemen who learned their art and craft from this generous bandleader who has always insisted his musicians “stretch-out” on his set.
Carlos, along with his personal and powerful vocals has emerged as one of the greatest contemporary Blues guitar slingers in the world. Carlos Johnson is an American blues guitarist and singer. He is left-handed, but plays a right-handed instrument upside-down like players such as Otis Rush, Albert King, and Jimi Hendrix. Johnson is known for his aggressive playing which has attracted audiences in the Chicago blue scene since the 1970s. He has played on recordings of notable musicians including Billy Branch & The Sons of Blues and Son Seals.
Carlos Johnson was born in Chicago, IL in 1953. Living on the Southside in the Kenwood Neighborhood, his father and mother influenced his musical inspirations at a young age. Listening to anything from classical music to blues, there was a wide range of music being played in the house. Carlos was given a Mickey Mouse guitar when he was a young kid and at that time he knew that he had found his calling. His singing started in school when he joined an acapella group as a soprano singer. Singing and playing guitar as a hobby with his friends in a basement turned into a career when he was offered to start playing with the queen of the blues, KoKo Taylor. Touring with KoKo Taylor around the world, he knew that this was something he wanted to do for the rest of his life. After KoKo, he started playing with Son Seals. Learning from Son, he had started to play around Chicago and playing at notorious blues clubs like Theresa's Lounge, Checkerboard Lounge, and so many more.
His intense style of guitar playing landed him in bands with Junior Wells, Billy Branch, Otis Rush, Little Johnny Christian, Lefty Dizz, and many many more. He also has had the experience to play alongside B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Ron Wood, Albert King, and so many legendary blues musicians.
Carlos Johnson started touring internationally with his own band without even an album release. Touring Poland and Japan with his band, playing the music he was born to play. Carlos has recorded many notable albums and has toured the world. He has won awards and was inducted into the Chicago blues hall of fame as a Master Blues Artist.
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