About Joanna Connor

“Music chose me. I vividly recall trying to sing like Louis Armstrong’s ‘Hello Dolly’ in our Brooklyn apartment. It came on the radio often. I knew I was small, but when I researched what year this version was on the charts, I was floored with the realization that I was two years old!”

And so, Joanna Connor’s musical odyssey began. The soundtrack of her childhood in her adopted hometown of Worcester, Massachusetts was diverse and bounteous. The Blues was part of the lexicon. Joanna’s favorite record as a child was Taj Mahal’s “Take A Giant Step/ The Old Folks At Home”.

Seeing Buddy Guy perform at a local university at the age of 10 left a paramount impression. Playing saxophone, guitar and singing through her school years were her passions, and eventually led to her performing professionally at age 17.

But her hunger to become a guitarist first and foremost and her desire to immerse herself in the Blues, propelled her to move to Chicago in 1984.

“It was my university. I went out every night of the week. Within a month I had my first gig with the legendary Johnny Littlejohn. A few weeks later I became a part of Dion Payton and the 43rd St Bluesband. We were the house band at the Checkerboard Lounge, on the south side of Chicago, then owned by Buddy Guy. That’s when my schooling kicked into overdrive. I played with Buddy, Junior Wells, Otis Rush, Sammy Lawhorn, Pinetop Perkins, Hubert Sumlin, Magic Slim, Son Seals, Lonnie Brooks, Koko Taylor, just to name a few. I was blessed.”

About The Wolfe Johns Blues Band

From the Streets to the Stage…

The Wolfe Johns Blues Band started in the streets of New Orleans, Louisiana, bound and determined to keep the spirit of performance alive in the the Crescent City during a time when live music was nonexistent as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Starting out in the Faubourg Tremé neighborhood of New Orleans on Treme St.. the band would perform weekly shows eventually moving their shows to Royal St. in  French Quarter where they performed daily.  Now you can see them perform on stages all over New Orleans and beyond.

Drawing on iconic blues influences that date back as far as the 1930’s, The Wolfe Johns Blues Band puts a signature spin on classic blues originals by artists such as John Lee Hooker,

Lightnin’ Slim, Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson, along with writing and performing high energy, emotionally charged, original music of their own.

The Wolfe Johns Blues Band has performed alongside acts such as Little Freddie King, Jon Cleary, Ruthie Foster, Joanna Connor, Alabama Slim, Johnny Sansone and more.

The Wolfe Johns Blues Band is a three piece musical group based in New Orleans, Louisiana.  Band members: Wolfe Johns, Bass + Vocals; Travis Marc, Drums.