Join us for a night with the John Blues Boyd Band.

For those who love the blues, the thrill of discovering a new artist is still special. Blues singer John “Blues” Boyd just released The Real Deal—at 71 years young—as a testament that the blues continues to be a vital American art form that will never die. Born in Greenwood, Mississippi, Boyd picked cotton as a youngster, worked at hard labor, and loved to sing. Relocating to the Bay Area in the 1980’s he was a roofer, sat in at local clubs, retired, and took care of his ailing wife, who passed in 2014. That’s when he became a bluesman full time.

Under the tutelage of Jim Pugh at Little Village Foundation, and with the production savvy of Kid Anderson from Greaseland Studios, Boyd was able to make an album of pure blues the way they use to do back in the day. He wrote most of the songs, letting Anderson take over the controls and procure all the accompanying musicians.Opening with the autobiographical title track, there is an immediate sense of an authentic “big sound” upon which Boyd lays his songs. “You Will Discover,” has that up tempo Junior Parker feel, while “That’s Big,” is a rolling Kansas City swing number carried along by honking tenor saxophones. Everyone knows that blues and barbecue go together, and “The Smiling Pig,” is a humorous stinging tribute to that perfect combination. The classic west coast shuffle of T-Bone Walker influenced “That Certain Day,” and “Be Careful With Your Love, offering a nice cadence where Boyd feels cool and collected.