Event

Studebaker John Blues on the Coast 2017

Taking his stage name from an automobile he once owned, Studebaker John Grimaldi is a product of the vibrant blues scene of Chicago's West Side.

Born in an Italian-American section of Chicago with a musician father, Studebaker John began playing the many instruments lying about the house. Becoming a fixture at the open-air flea markets in the Maxwell Street area -- a venue for countless blues buskers -- he began focusing on harmonica after catching performances from the likes of Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson; after taking in a Hound Dog Taylor club date, Studebaker John also turned to guitar. He formed the blues-rock band The Hawks during the early '70s as a showcase for his reedy vocals, primal harp sound, and blistering slide guitar skills, and in the years to follow also developed into a fine songwriter.

Ahead of the pack, with vision and foresight, creating a new standard and landscape for this musics future with John at the wheel, the future is now!