| Backwater Blues Band John Papp |
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By early May of 1961, John Papp was living the blues. Born weak and feeble, he was unable to stand, talk or even to write down simple blues lyrics. Frustrated by his inability to fully communicate the dramatic emotional impact of his recent birth, all he could resort to was a soulful plaintive wailing. The nurses and delivery room staff of Granite City Hospital were duly impressed, but the more learned doctors had to break the unfortunate news to his parents that it would likely be several years before John would be able to pick up a bass guitar. Growing up in the south - of Illinois - left its impact on the musical development of the budding young blues star. Exposure to an older brother's record collection introduced John to artists like Jimmy Reed, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and Muddy Waters. By the age of fourteen, John had taught himself to play several instruments including guitar, bass, keyboards, and various band instruments. The turning point in his semi-pro musical career came when, at the age of seventeen, he was invited to join a local four-piece band. Soon he was traveling the Illinois and Missouri backroads, playing R&B, Motown, oldies rock-and-roll, and blues covers at various small-town-hole-in-the-wall dives and jukejoints. He knew then that this was to be his destiny. A couple decades and many miles of blacktop later John found himself staring at an opportunity to fill a spot in an up-and-coming young blues band called The Backwater Blues Band. Along the way, he had traveled extensively, played millions of I-IV-V chord progressions, married sweet Julianne and fathered several children (picking up the nickname "Blues Daddy"), bought, sold and traded a stadium full of musical equipment, worked a variety of uninteresting day jobs, and met many unforgettable - and also quite a few forgettable - musicians, club-owners, fans, drunks, and friends. When questioned about what it has all led up to, he responds, "Well, it's given me this really cool chance to write about myself in the third person - which is kinda' fun." At the present time Blues Daddy looks forward to the next gig with the BBB, playing new rooms and meeting new friends. As he continues ever-seeking yet another cool blues groove, he often contemplates the experiences of living the blues, and draws inspiration from a statement someone once said: "The blues is just something you feel." That he certainly can do. |
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The Official (Authorized) Biography of John "Blues Daddy" Papp |
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Blues Daddy's Essential Equipment:
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