Johnny Chimes Trio

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courtesy Johnny Chimes

A close-up of Johnny Chimes.

Johnny Chimes

Johnny Chimes is a Madison music scene mainstay playing solo piano and singing New Orleans-styled blues, with a residency at Louisianne’s in Middleton for three decades and counting. Chimes also plays acoustic guitar, which will be the focus of an upcoming album release. Get a preview of some of the album’s songs at this trio concert, also featuring Tom McCarty (Birddog Blues Band) on bass and Al Falaschi (Steely Dane) on drums.

media release: Johnny Chimes, Piano/guitar- Al Falaschi, drums - Tommy McCarty, bass 

Originally from small-town Illinois, where he began performing in and around the Chicago area as a teenager in pop/rock bands covering the radio hits of the day. Moved on to Nashville, Tennessee, learning the craft of songwriting. Had several of his songs published @ ATV/Sony & Warner Bros Music. Toured the South playing piano as a sideman in several country/rock groups.

Left Tennessee for Madison, Wisconsin, where he sat-in w/ local blues and country acts. He later established himself as a solo artist, touring a yearly circuit of Midwestern colleges and coffeehouses, playing guitar & piano. At that same time, he also formed an acoustic-based trio performing music which anticipated “Americana”, before the term was coined.

Chimes formed his own larger group, the Natch’l Blues Band, which was one of the mainstays of the local music scene for nearly a decade—part jam band, part New Orleans R&B/funk. He released the first of several albums of his own music at this time. And his band continues to perform @ concerts & festivals in the Madison area.

Johnny was offered a gig @ a local New Orleans-themed eatery, which has turned into a thirty-year+ residency and has brought him a following of all ages. He continues to write and perform w/ piano & guitar—along with his “one-of-a-kind” voice leading the way thru the blues, country, rock, jazz and boogie-woogie musical landscape…