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| Written by John Taylor | |||
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The term "road warrior" could well have originated with Calgary's Johnny V. Touring relentlessly, he's made many a stage across Canada his own, and his travels have extended to Europe, the U.S. and South America. Were blues a more commercially viable musical form, world domination might well be within reach! Raised in Toronto, Johnny credits his father as his earliest musical influence. "He played guitar," says Johnny. "He was the one who got me started. He played lots of different stuff - he called it all country - and I can still remember front-room jams at our house, with all kinds of guys dropping by." His initial exposure to blues came about thanks to his high-school music teacher.  "His name - I still remember this - was
David Mills. He was very hip for the time; he'd play tunes like the Stones'
version of "Hipshake", then he'd play us the originals, so I got a chance to
hear stuff by Slim Harpo, Muddy, all those cats. Then I started going through
my sister's record collection. I'd hear something, then pour over the credits,
trying to find out where it all came from." A young Johnny soon became well known to staff at Sam's Records on Yonge Street, always asking questions, seeking the source. "I remember hearing Hendrix do "Come On," Johnny says, "and the next day I was in Sam's, trying to find something, anything, by Earl King." Johnny was busking the streets of Toronto by age 13, honing his craft while soaking up every influence he could find. The list is eclectic indeed. In addition to the usual suspects - "The guys who turned my crank were Otis Rush, Magic Sam, Elmore James, Albert King and Albert Collins, Earl King and Earl Hooker" - he also harbours an appreciation for artists closer to home. "King Biscuit Boy is one of my all-time heroes. This is a guy who actually charted on Billboard long before there was any such thing as 'Canadian blues.'" Asked about his current faves, Johnny mentions Michael Pickett ("I've been a fan since his days with Whiskey Howl"), Dutch Mason, Ronny Hawkins, Donny Walsh, and Jack DeKeyzer. Again, all have forged their own identity, followed their own musical path. "They're all honest about it," says Johnny, who admits to having little time or patience with most aspects of the current musical climate. "It's not a healthy scene. There's way too much politics involved. Even if the end result is positive, I don't like the way they go about it." So it should come as no surprise that two of the people he admires most are the iconoclastic Eddie B., a photographer, some-time DJ, and blues historian from Toronto, and Andy Grigg, editor of Canada's own Real Blues magazine. "These are both guys who've done so much for blues in Canada, we could never thank them enough!"
"I was with him at the end," recalls Johnny, "and on his deathbed he told me, "You've really got talent, boy - you should explore it." He was the one who inspired me to keep at it." His father was also instrumental in determining Johnny's ultimate musical direction. "I did covers for years, but it just doesn't interest me any more. If I can't always do my own material, at least I can do my own arrangements. I remember my dad saying, 'It's up to you to decide whether you want to be a craftsman or an artis't."" Johnny adds, 'Once I got the basics I just sort of stopped listening. It's more important to create my own sound. And I must be doing something right - people say they can tell it's me from blocks away!" Johnny's also had the distinction of appearing on the first-ever blues album recorded in the former communist regime of Latvia, with the bed tracks laid down in an old KGB bunker and mixed in what was once the Communist Party headquarters. His music has also led to some pretty significant exposure on television; "I Ain't Lying" was featured on the cult hit "Northern Exposure," and "Lost Love" was played on The Chris Isaak Show. Johnny's project "YVR" (Johnny, bassist Glen Yorga, and drummer Andrzej Ryszka), completed a disc titled Mustard & Relics an all-original collection recorded live. "This is what we sound like," says Johnny. "I had no intention of going back and trying to fix things up. If we made a mistake, well, at least it's honest." In between touring in support of that one with The Johnny V Trio (Johnny, Glen Yorga, and Joey Dimarco on drums), he has some special plans for the summer of 2002; he'll be criss-crossing the country in a "Best of the West Prarie Pickers" review. "It's my trio with Big Dave McLean, and Amos Garrett," he explains, "and we'll do a two-hour presentation covering all styles, both solo and together." He's also busy planning his next recording, though he's loathe to reveal too much about it as yet. "It's too early," he says, "but I can tell you it'll be done live, just like Mustard & Relics. The only other thing I'll say for now is that it'll be an all-slide affair."  A
computer hobbyist from 'way back, it's not only how Johnny spends his downtime,
and also makes him uniquely qualified to comment on technology's impact on
working musicians. "I'm a Mac guy, completely self-taught," he says. "I get old
machines, fix 'em up, and donate them to needy kids." Computers have had a hugely beneficial impact on his own career. "Put it this way - they let me do it all myself. I don't need an agent or a manager. My e-mail and Internet contacts let me keep as busy as I want to be." And what about computer piracy, a contentious issue for most musicians? "Home burning is communist thinking," he says with characteristic bluntness. "It's basically putting everything into the public domain, in effect saying the artist has no rights to his or her own work." Blues fans should be thankful that Johnny's understandably protective instincts toward his artistic output don't prevent him from sharing his music! Fiercely independent, fearlessly opinionated, and a phenomenal talent, Johnny V is just about everything a bluesman ought to be.
© Copyright
2002
Feature by John Taylor. |
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