SOUTH Carolina songwriter, harmonica player and vocalist Johnny Mars and his British band The Global Rhythm Explorers discover the joys of the Deep Blues Club in York on Tuesday.
Performing at the Post Office Club in Marygate, they play acoustic and electric R & B with Cajun, reggae, Afro, Caribbean and other world influences.
"This sizzling blend of styles, colours and rhythmic textures provides the perfect backdrop for Johnny's soulful, powerhouse vocals and unique harmonica style," says Deep Blues Club co-promoter Tony Clarke. "Johnny Mars is the most stunning and innovative harmonica player on this planet."
Born into a family of sharecroppers in 1942 in Laurens, South Carolina, Mars was given his first harmonica at nine and formed his first band at high school in New Paltz, New York.
He played on bills with the then unknown Jimi Hendrix, which inspired him to find his own sound. He moved to San Francisco in the mid-1960s, forming the Johnny Mars Band and he made his first British visit in 1972.
Since 1978, he has lived in West London, recording, touring, and playing on a Bananarama album in 1991.
On Tuesday he will be playing the blues harp in the company of Global Rhythm Explorers Dave Wright, Craig Hume and Barry Race. Doors open at 8pm; admission is £6, £5 for concessions and CIU members.
Updated: 12:26 Friday, February 07, 2003
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