Blues Triple Header: Johnny Burgin & Aki Kumar with Ben Rice & The PDX Hustle

About This Event

The Community Center for the Performing Arts and Blue Dragon Entertainment are pleased to present a Blues Triple Header: Johnny Burgin & Aki Kumar with special guest Ben Rice & the PDX Hustle on Wednesday, September 9th at the WOW Hall. Johnny Burgin Johnny’s known as road warrior who’s on tour close to 200 nights a year across the States, in Mexico and Europe.  But if you’d told him this would be his career when he was in High School,  he wouldn’t have believed you.  Johnny grew up in Mississippi and South Carolina and went to University of Chicago with the intention of becoming a writer.  When a friend took him out to a West Side ghetto club to hear the blues singer Tail Dragger, it was a conversion moment.  The blues came to life for Johnny and he fell headfirst into the vibrant Chicago blues scene.  Choosing the blues clubs over the library, Johnny eagerly absorbed the lessons from the blues masters who practiced their craft nightly.  By persistence and practice, Johnny gained a spot in Tail Dragger’s band, and started gigging and recording with  traditional blues veterans like Sam Lay, Billy Boy Arnold, and Pinetop Perkins.   By the late 90s, Johnny was working regularly in Chicagoland blues clubs under his own name.  Johnny started a Monday night residency at The Smoke Daddy in Wicker Park, featuring vocalist Jimmy Burns.  The band featured other future blues notables who were also at beginning of their careers, such as Kenny Smith on drums and Martin Lang on harp, and they created quite a buzz.  They packed the club every Monday with a younger, hip crowd, as well as blues veterans stopping by to sit in such as Dave Meyers, Jesse Fortune, Barkin’ Bill, etc.  Their success led to a record deal with Delmark and the first of several European tours. The shangri-la of being “King of Division Street” eventually ran its course.  In the early aughts, Johnny dropped off the scene entirely to raise a daughter.   When the music eventually called Johnny back, his comeback was noted by The Chicago Tribune, Chicago Blues Guide, and the Dutch blues magazine BLOCK.  As noted blues producer Dick Shurman wrote, “Johnny’s skills, passion and commitment were undiminished.”   His move to the Bay Area in 2016 led to a creative burst and his most notable recordings.  In a few short years, Johnny cranked out the Cali/Chicago blues mashups Greetings from Greaseland,  Neoprene Fedora, the Howlin’ Wolf tribute Howlin’ at Greaseland (nominated for a BMA for Best Traditional Blues Recording) and Johnny Burgin Live, which featured blues legend Charlie Musselwhite and was nominated for a Blues Blast Best Live Recording Award for 2019.   Johnny had always done road work, but during this time, he grew into the role of the constantly touring road warrior he’s known as today. Johnny’s produced eleven CDs as a leader to his credit and dozens more as a sideman.  He’s recorded with veterans like Johnny Sansone,  Paul DeLay, Bob Corritore, and Jimmy Burns as well as up and comers like Aki Kumar, Joel Astley, and Ben Levin.  Johnny’s developed from a young guitar slinger and local blues hero to a matured bluesman, fully fledged singer and the confident and engaging bandleader.  In recent years, he has been a resident instructor at the Pinetop Perkins Foundation and the Chicago Blues Guitar Workshop and has developed a loyal following on YouTube channel for his weekly looks at the blues guitar greats.   Johnny’s recordings have evolved from being very Chicago-centric, to a fusion of West Coast and Chicago styles, and finally,to a more inclusive, international approach.  His CD No Border Blues Japan is the first American compilation of the underground Japanese blues scene.  His latest CD, “Ramblin’ From Coast to Coast”, has made several Best-Of-’24 lists and received a Blues Blast nomination for Best Traditional Blues CD. Learn more about Johnny Burgin online at: www.johnnyburgin.com Johnny Burgin – I’ve Been Drinkin’ Muddy Water  Aki Kumar At the peak of Y2K mania, Aki Kumar left his home in Mumbai for the USA with the intention of working as a software engineer. Then he discovered the blues, and his life changed dramatically. Kumar quickly steeped himself in the genre and became a fixture in blues clubs throughout Northern California, honing his stage chops and ultimately developing his visionary “Bollywood Blues” sound. Today, this harmonica player, soulful vocalist, band-leader, drummer and producer is one of the most prolific artists in the SF Bay Area. A veteran of the San Jose music scene for two decades, Kumar has been hailed as “…King of ‘Bollywood blues’ music” by SJ Mercury News (2022) and received the Metro Silicon Valley Gold Award for Best Band (2024). When he first began performing, Kumar attempted to downplay his ethnicity and only performed straight, Chicago-style blues. “I wanted to make a statement that I was a traditional blues musician, so I wanted to be playing blues and have nobody even wonder where I came from.” Kumar’s debut album “Don’t Hold Back” (2014) was hailed as “one of the best new artist new releases of 2014” (Blues Blast Magazine) and showcases his classic blues stylings. He quickly followed it up with “It Takes Three” (2015) – a collaboration that celebrates three generations of South Bay Blues harmonica, including the legendary Gary Smith and renowned blues harmonica teacher David Barrett. His approach to music changed over the years, and with his Little Village debut, “Aki Goes to Bollywood” (2016), he began integrating elements of retro Indian music into his musical and visual presentation, making for a unique, electrifying, multi-cultural mash-up that sounds like no one else, yet never loses touch with its blues-inspired foundation. That stylistic mix of East and West reached a new creative high on Aki’s second Little Village album, “Hindi Man Blues” (2018), which proudly features liner notes by veteran blues  harmonica legend Charlie Musselwhite. In 2020, Kumar made a major splash with the world-wide launch of his album “Dilruba” on Sony Music. “Dilruba” is an Indian Pop record that showcases his signature sound on a number Hindi and bilingual number. In 2021, Little Village released Kumar’s uplifting reggae-inspired single “Zindagi” (Life). 2025 marked a milestone year for Kumar with the release of his third “Little Village” album “God Bless The USA”, an eclectic, self-engineered and self-produced blues record. Kumar has made multiple appearances at The Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, San Jose Jazz & SF Jazz Festivals, and has been featured on PRI “The World,” KQED Arts and CBS Bay Area. He has also toured extensively over the years, including in Europe, Scandinavia, Russia, Australia, India and South America. Learn more about Aki Kumar online at: www.akikumar.com Aki Kumar – Back To Bombay (LIVE) Ben Rice & The PDX Hustle Ben Rice might be described as quiet and unassuming—until he picks up a guitar. A three-time Blues Music Award nominee, Rice has built a reputation as one of the most expressive and versatile artists in today’s roots and blues scene. While he began in traditional blues, over the years he’s expanded his sound with soul, R&B, folk, and country, creating a welcoming front-porch atmosphere where every listener feels at home. Raised on a mix of vinyl treasures—his dad’s Steely Dan, Bob Marley, and Marshall Tucker alongside his mom’s Al Green, Barry White, and George Benson—Rice discovered the guitar at age seven and never looked back. Early thrift-store finds introduced him to Mississippi John Hurt, Bukka White, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Robert Cray, influences that shaped his fearless, inventive, and powerful guitar style. Whether on a steel resonator or his custom-carved electric, Rice’s intensity and originality consistently turn heads. Audiences are equally drawn to his heartfelt songwriting and evocative vocals. “My goal is to reach people in a way that they need to be reached,” Rice explains. “To say things they may not get to say or hear things they may not normally get to hear.” In performance, he treats every song as a story, channeling the emotions of the characters and inviting listeners to find their own meaning within the music. In 2023, Ben Rice unveiled a bold new chapter with his horn-driven ensemble, Ben Rice & The PDX Hustle. With its blend of horns, vocal harmonies, piano and organ, the group captures the raw energy of Rice’s original music and delivers it with a commitment and drive that has been igniting audiences across the Pacific Northwest and beyond. With his new album Fallen Angel (2025), Rice showcases not only his fearless guitar work and earnest vocals, but also his evolution as a songwriter and bandleader. The record is both a tribute to his late drummer Chandler Bowerman and a testament to resilience, creativity, and the deep joy of making music. While Ben Rice’s journey has already brought him acclaim, collaborations with legendary artists and international tours, it’s clear that his greatest triumphs are still ahead Learn more online at: www.benricehustle.com Ben Rice & The PDX Hustle – I Like It Better Lonely (LIVE)

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