Jeremiah Johnson, the lead of his self titled St. Louis blues band The Jeremiah Johnson Band, just release a new album.

Soul Selector, Tom “Papa” Ray is a formidable character on the St. Louis music scene. He runs Vintage Vinyl, which recently was voted as one of the ten best records stores in America by USA Today. Ray hosts his own show on KDHX radio station in St. Louis, as well as being a notable harp player himself.

While visiting with Tom in St. Louis, he recommended a local blues rock band, namely The Jeremiah Johnson Band. However, while time didn’t permit seeing them live on this visit, the strength of his recommendation meant the band was worth listening to, which I did first thing upon returning to the UK. Their fourth album, Brand Spank’n Blue (released 2011), is simply amazing.

The latest album from The Jeremiah Johnson Band, Grind was released this past August through CD Baby. The album was produced by Devon Allman of Honeytribe and Royal Southern Brotherhood fame. Grind featured the Grammy Award winning drummer, Yonrico Scott, also from the Royal Southern Brotherhood.

Fast forward three months later, I returned to the River City on the Fourth of July, which is a quite the spectacle. Plenty of festivities and an amazing fireworks display on the banks of the Missouri River make a visit to St. Louis on Independence Day something to behold. However, the fireworks show could only be rivaled by the explosive performance of The Jeremiah Johnson Band, playing at the Moonshine Blues Bar located on Main Street in downtown St. Charles.

On this occasion, Jeremiah was playing with The Sliders, who accompanied on Sax and Horns in addition to The Jeremiah Johnson Band trio. Papa Ray also accompanied on harp. Their performance was tight and in sync to the point it appeared as though they had been playing together all of their lives.

As a music journalist, I see a lot of shows, but this was one of the best this year. It was a memorable night and Jeremiah Johnson had gained myself as new fan.

Jeremiah spoke with National Rock Review, and told us a bit more about The Jeremiah Johnson Band.

Jeremiah Johnson Interview:

The Jeremiah Johnson Band
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Photo: Angela Allen / When I Grow Up Photography

About The Author

Adam Kennedy is an experienced music photographer based in northeast England. He has been shooting concerts for several years, predominantly with the band Vintage Trouble. In 2013, he was one of their tour photographers, covering the UK and Ireland tour including the headline shows and as opening act for The Who. As an accomplished concert photographer, Adam's work has been featured in print such as, Classic Rock Blues Magazine, Guitarist Magazine, Blues in Britain magazine, broadcast on the MDA Telethon on ABC Television in the US, used in billboard advertising for Renaissance Hotels in the US, and featured online via music blogs such as Uber Rock and Guitar Planet. He is also the official photographer at Newcastle Rock and Blues Club.