super chikan

Born in Darling, Mississippi on February 16, 1951, James "Super Chikan" Johnson didn't come into the world with much to call his own. He grew up in his grandmother's house with 21 cousins, uncles and aunts. The family lived out on a Delta farm, picked cotton and scratched for everything they got. Out of this tough environment, Chikan did have one good turn of fortune. "My mama had a two string guitar from the Army surplus store," explains Chikan. "I learnt my first notes from her. I learned to play like Jimmy Reed on those two strings. I also heard James Brown, Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry and Little Richard. I was listening to blues AND country & western. I never knew there was a difference. That why I call my new album 'Chikan Supe.' Regardless of what I'm playing it all comes out together. Music is music as far as I'm concerned. If it works, it works." Chikan's eclectic brand of blues also benefited from his early experiments with homemade instruments. "I was about 7 years old, and I made my first diddley bow [one-string guitar] upside my Grandma's barn. I was out there playing on that thing so much that one day a guy stopped to hear me play. He told me that he could take me and that thing to Washington, and we'd be rich in two week's time. I ran in and told my Grandmother, and she said, 'Boy you crazy. You can't carry that barn to Washington.'" Luckily, other opportunities came Chikan's way. "My Uncle Big Jack [Johnson] had a club in Clarksdale called the Black Fox, and I went in there and played with him when I was in my early 20s," recalls Chikan. "I was shaking in my shoes, but it went pretty good. I ended up playing bass for Big Jack and the Jelly Roll Kings for a while around town." Eventually, Chikan broke out on his own in the late 1970s, recording a handful of tracks with the Wesley Jefferson Band and three full albums for Rooster Blues and Fat Possum Records. As a result of these recordings, he toured the U.S. as well as Africa, the UK, Denmark, Canada, Mexico, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Switzerland and Japan. Chikan has even played in Washington, D.C. in front of The President! Still, if you ask him the name of his favorite place to play, and the answer is quick. "Ground Zero Blues Club, right here in my hometown," says Chikan. "Morgan Freeman is a great friend and when he shows up, we have a lot of fun because he loves to dance. He says, 'Go Super Chikan, go!'" According to Chikan, the club has motivated him in other ways, too. "One night after leaving the club, I had a dream about performing there in which I had a 'crossroads' experience, so I wrote a song about it called 'Ground Zero'," he says. Super Chikan (Vocals and Guitar) and The Fighting Cocks (Jameisa: Drums, Lala: Keys and Daddy Rich: Bass) have recorded a new album entitled "Sum Mo Chikan" at the legendary producer Willie Mitchell's "Royal Studios" in Memphis, Tn., that was released by in May of 2007. Lawrence Mitchell, Charley Burch and Super Chikan produced the record. Willie Mitchell oversaw the entire session. Lawrence Mitchell also mastered the album with Chikan at Royal Studios. Chikan just finished a 49 date tour with Steven Seagal's Blues band to sold out performances throughout the UK and Denmark at the beginning of 2007. A few of Chikan's hand made guitars will be on a multi-gallery tour this summer across America. This former field hand and truck driver has released four acclaimed albums, nominated for a W.C. Handy Award, received five Living Blues Awards, Excelence in Performance Govenors award from Mexico City, Mx. and a Mississippi Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts. Beloved by fans of all musical genres, this self-taught songwriter, musician, painter, craftsman, and, yes, philosopher continues to create. With a twinkle in his eye, he says, "I don't just sing the blues; I am the blues." For bookings, please contact Charles Burch - Agent. 901-335-3152 www.charleyburch@yahoo.com or www.myspace.com/superchikanandthefightingcocks Purchase new album and www.cdbaby.com