CHICAGO’S RENOWNED QUEEN OF GUITAR
JOANNA CONNOR
ANNOUNCES INNOVATIVE NEW STUDIO ALBUM
“4801 SOUTH INDIANA AVENUE”
PRODUCED BY #1 BLUES ARTIST JOE BONAMASSA
RELEASED VIA BONAMASSA’S KTBA RECORDS ON FEBRUARY 26
PRE-ORDER THE ALBUM NOW ON CD AND DIGITAL FROM KTBARECORDS.COM
WATCH MUSIC VIDEO FOR NEW SINGLE “I FEEL SO GOOD”
Chicago-based slide guitar virtuoso and singer-songwriter, Joanna Connor, who is best known as one of the reigning Queens of blue rock guitar, releases her 14th album 4801 South Indiana Avenue on Joe Bonamassa’s new independent blues record label Keeping The Blues Alive on February 26, 2021.
Tennessee.
to open that door, walk in and feel to their core some of the magic that a place like that brought night after night. It was an honor to bring this to you, the listener.”Joanna has played guitar with the who’s who of blues including the likes of James Cotton, Buddy Guy, Jimmy Page, and Junior Wells. Debuting at Chicago’s premiere blues club Kingston Mines in the 1980s, she played there three nights a week ever since, in between gigs at larger clubs and festivals, before the spread of the pandemic earlier this year.An aggressively edgy and highly innovative blues rock guitarist with a tight groove that encompasses jazz and funk, Joanna’s hailed by many as one of the most powerful and influential female guitarists on the planet.
The new album reflects an entirely new experience from the way Joanna has recorded music in the past.
“This album is a homage to the blues school that I attended in Chicago,” says Joanna. “We attempted to capture the spirit of tradition and inject it with raw energy and passion.”
4801 South Indiana Avenue
Track by Track
All the songs on the new album were lovingly hand-picked by Joe and Josh Smith and were ran by me for final approval. Each song was true to the original but were given a few twists and turns with subtle and not so subtle shifts in approach, rhythm, and attack.
Destination
This is a real house rocking tune written by a somewhat overlooked band called The Assassins, led by Jimmy Thackeray. It was made sweeter by the soulful background vocals of Jimmy Hall. Joe and Josh joined on as well. It’s a great showcase for my frantic and frenetic guitar work.
Come Back Home
This song features killer blues piano performed by Reese Wynans. Joe encouraged me to play some raw and old school slide guitar.
Bad News
This is a Luther Allison song, and we chose because we were all huge fans of his. I toured with him in Europe for almost ten years as his opening act, so it was an honour to record this haunting piece. Joe came up with the bell idea to further capture the mood.
I Feel So Good
This is one heavy boogie tune. The opening note I held was a fun challenge! This tune absolutely burns. Joe used some interesting microphone technique on the vocal and overdrove it purposely. The drummer (Lemar Carter) and I were flying by the seat of our pants so to speak and miraculously ended the fade out together. I particularly love the way the musicians come roaring back- all Joe’s idea!
For The Love of a Man
This is our Albert King tune! What blues album would be complete without one?
Trouble Trouble
This song features slinky horns and stellar Josh Smith guitar licks. It’s another facet of the classic blues genre that we wanted to cover.
Please Help
This is our tribute to Hound Dog Taylor. I believe he would have liked it.
Cut You Loose
This is one of my favourite songs that features a hypnotic rhythmic shift.
Part Time Love
This song is a real staple in the repertoire in Chicago. I think we did it justice. A cracking horn section really makes it shine.
It’s My Time
This song was written by Josh Smith. It was Joe’s Idea to have me do a spoken word and make some of the verses personal to me. Joe and I perform a slide duet, conjuring up Ry Cooder.