Playing the Blues so nice it hurts!
Blues harp virtuoso Vince Johnson makes it easy to understand why people call the harmonica the "Mississippi saxophone." His rich, entrancing harp playing is a beautiful soundscape that elicits great emotion from the listener. Saturated with unfeigned feeling, his smooth, golden voice brings the true meaning of the Blues to anyone who hears him play. One of the greatest harmonica players and overall entertainers to grace the stage, he has enthralled audiences across the country and internationally.
Vince Johnson leads his storied Memphis Blues band, the Plantation Allstars, taking the sound of the Blues to a new and different level. Growing up in Chicago, he developed his creative identity as a vocalist and harmonica player by listening to and studying the artists of not only the Blues, but R&B and Jazz as well. He is also an accomplished flutist and percussionist, among his many other talents. As a result of these diverse influences, his sound summons up the grit and raw drive of the South-Side Chicago Blues, imbued with the warm, rhythmic textures of Memphis Soul Music, and blends them into a unique Blues explosion.
Vince’s little brother, Alan Johnson, joins him on the bass. BMA winner and Grammy nominated Jeremy Powell has been his choice on keys for the past 15 years. Aubrey McCrady brings that Mississippi soul with his master guitar licks, and Shannon Johnson rounds out the band on drums. With thousands of performances on Beale Street and throughout the U.S., three International Blues Challenge appearances, and Memphis Blues Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award, Vince Johnson and his band have cemented their name in Memphis music history.
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A Blues performance by Vince Johnson grabs your heart and squeezes tightly and, most importantly, guarantees a good time for everyone, young and old. Whether you like to dance the night away, “romp and stomp till midnight, fuss and fight till daylight,” or just sit back and groove to the music, Vince Johnson & the Plantation Allstars’ big, full sound will suit any musical occasion. Whether it’s a festival, corporate party, a swanky nightclub in New York City, or even a wine tasting in Beverly Hills, Vince Johnson & the Plantation Allstars are sure to bring a juke joint to your backyard!
Most recently Vince Johnson & the Plantation Allstars were honored with the prestigious Beale Street Brass Note award. The Beale Street Brass Notes offer a tangible tribute to the talented people who had put Memphis music and Beale Street on the world map. Past recipients include Aretha Franklin, Johnny Cash and Booker T. and the M.G.'s among others.
This spring the Vince Johnson & the Plantation Allstars brass musical note will be embedded in a sidewalk on Beale Street, as part of the Beale Street Brass Note Walk of Fame.
