Blues legend John Primer knew from a young age that he wanted to be a musician.
“When I was two or three years old, I would go around and play that thing,” Primer said. “I always wanted to be a guitar player.”
Primer, born in Mississippi, migrated to Chicago when he was 18-years-old in the early 1960s and quickly found work at local clubs, honing his guitar skills. He performed seven nights a week for seven years at Theresa’s Lounge in south Chicago alongside the Junior Wells Band. There, he sparked the interest of Vicksburg-born bluesman Willie Dixon, which ultimately led Primer to become band leader for the iconic Muddy Waters.
“When I play with those big guys like that, they’re teaching me,” he said. “I’m in school then, because I’m learning what they’re doing, but I don’t try to be them.”
Now, he’s returning to Mississippi to play at the National Folk Festival held November 7-9 in downtown Jackson.
“Mississippi is my home, so I can’t forget about that,” he said. “It’s where I started.”
Through the years though, he said the music scene has changed around Chicago. He’s worked as a musician for more than six decades and said he’s seen it all.
“When I got to Chicago in 1963, music was everywhere. Music was in every club in Chicago, now it’s changed. It’s not like it used to be,” he said. “It’s not many clubs like it used to be in the 60s, 70s and 80s. They’re all gone, vanished. They’re very few in Chicago now. A lot has changed.”
But he said his love for the blues keeps him performing.
“I tell everybody, when I’m playing, I don’t work for money, but I like to get paid. I get up there and play. Thinking about the money? No. Think about the people and my love so people can know the blues, that’s why I play. They keep me going.”
Primer has a career spanning six decades and close to 100 albums. He’s been nominated for three Grammy awards, and has won countless Blues Blast and Blues Music awards. He’s performed all over the world, but he said he’s looking forward to coming home to Mississippi. Looking to the National Folk Festival, Primer said he’s going to play some fan favorites and throw in a couple songs from his recent album “Grown in Mississippi.”
“I know what the people like, and so I’m going to try to play some of this and some of that for them. Whatever it takes to get the mood going,” he said.
Blues to Primer is a way of living. He said blues music can help people through a tough time, and that’s why he keeps coming to the stage night after night.
“Blues help you with your pain. Not physical pain, but if you had a bad night, you lost a loved one or some person passed away,” he said. “A lot of people come to me and say ‘I’ve been having a bad day, but I heard you tonight and I can go home and sleep good. I forgot about the bad feelings.’ Blues makes you forget about your troubles.”
For more information on the National Folk Festival, which will be held November 7-9, visit www.nationalfolkfestival.com.
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