Johnny And The Jokers

JOHNNY - Drums & Auxillary Percussion
Johnny's first taste for the music came at the age of 3 when his parents took him to a BB King concert. After that he started playing along with his dad's vinyl collection on a Mickey Mouse drumkit. He quickly moved onto a weathered and vintage blue marbled Slingerland kit. At age 10, after flunking music and getting kicked out of Jazz band for playing "Wipeout" and "Let There Be Drums", Johnny started hammering out chops with his old mans band and sittin' in on gigs. The Slingerland kit was eventually traded for a Ludwig set. Today, he still can't read music and has been known to drink too much whiskey n' water, but one thing is certain about this bad cat.... whether it's his colossal rockin' blues backbeat drumming or his funky and earthshattering Latin percsussion moves, he'll keep your feet movin' all night long and your heart beating out of your chest.
Johnny's equipment:
Limited Edition Gretsch Catalina Club Rock Kit
26" Bass, 6X14 Gretsch Snare,14"
suspended, 16"/18" Floor Toms, Evans G2 Coated Heads
Sabian/Zildjan Cymbals, Gibralter Hardware,Vic Firth Hickory 5A, Shure/Audix
Mic's
LP Congas and Bongos, Various Cowbells, Maracas, Shakers and other auxiliary percussion

JOHN - Guitar & Vocals
At age of 4, John started singing the songs he heard on his parents' console radio while his Mom accompanied him on an old upright piano. But it was the sounds of guitars and saxophones he was hearing on the radio that started his love for rockin' blues. He started learning licks on the guitar while in the military. Early influences such as Elvis Presley, The Everly Brothers, Rick Nelson and all of the early rock and rollers, were followed by John's later favorites such as Delbert McClinton, Taj Mahal, Gary Moore, The Allman Brothers, Stevie Ray Vaughn. John has played with local country and rock bands including several years with the classic rock band The Next Page. John's frequent travels over the last 35 years have given him the chance to visit some of the best blues clubs in New Orleans, Chicago, Austin, and others cities. Rock and Roll/Rhythm and Blues got it's hold on John early in his life and now he's playing it with a passion that's only grown stronger over the years.
Equip:
Amps - Mesa Boogie F-100, Fender Deluxe
Axes - Gibson LP Classic, Gibson LP Custom.

Harv - Guitar, Harmonica, & Vocals
Harv learned his craft by listening to some of the local guitar players in his hometown of Macon, GA. Not a bad place to get educated considering that it was the early seventies and Capricorn Records/Studios was in full swing and homebase for such bands as The Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Wet Willie. What that meant was that on any given night you could walk into one of the local clubs, places like Grants Lounge, and run into Duane or Dickey or ........ Harv took full advantage of this by hanging on every opportunity to see these guys playing live and asking question about style, technique, playing in a band, and life on the road. Several attempts at local bands and a move in 1985 to Lincoln, NE. led to Harv's first success as a guitar player in a blues band, The Honeyboy Turner Band. After the demise of Turner's band in the late 90s, Harv joined with several other local musicians to form The Hydramatics, a successful jump blues band. The Hydramatics underwent several band member changes and eventually became Jukehouse. After a couple of years of constant gigging, Harv decided it was time for a break. BUT NOW HE'S BACK !
Harv plays Gibson and Fender guitars and vintage blackface Fender amps

Rick - Bass
When Rick was in the third grade in Cleveland, Ohio he wanted to play trumpet in the school band but the band director needed someone to play a bass clef instrument and since Rick was the biggest kid in the band he ended up with an Eb sousaphone. So began Rick's musical career.
He played in the USAF band during his 22 years in the Air Force. He eventually cross-trained to string bass and the world of jazz and popular music opened up to him. In the mid-sixties Rick picked up the electric bass guitar, soon to be playing it exclusively. He has organized and led jazz and popular music combos. Rick and his group had the pleasure of working with the likes of Tennessee Ernie Ford, Brook Benton, and Buddy Rich. In 1978 Rick joined a local (Nebraska based) dance band. He currently performs with dance bands and combos in the Omaha/Lincoln, NE area and is very excited to be a part of the newly formed Johnny and the Jokers.

Brian - Keyboard & Vocals
All the way from Denver, CO., Brian is a jazz musician who moved to Nebraska in 2003 and has played in various jazz, blues, and country bands since moving here.

Gary - Drums
Photo and bio to come