Johnie B and Queen Iretta wind up series
The monthly blues show at RJ’s Grill & Bar featured the Johnie B and Queen Iretta Sanders Blues Revue on Dec.
2. The final installment of the 2023 Blues By Budweiser concert series showcased the Jackson, Miss.-based duo.
“I’ve been singing since I was 8 years old,” Queen Iretta said. “I started in church. The first blues song I learned was Etta James’ ‘Wang Dang Doodle,’ and I still sing it today.”
She explained how she and husband Johnie B Sanders have been married 37 years and performing together for
23.
Johnie B was a bit younger when he started playing music.
“I began playing piano when I was 3,” Johnie B said. “My dad passed his old guitar on to me when I was 7. It was a 62 Jaguar.”
His favorite guitar now is a black Gibson 355, the same style guitar B.B. King favored that he called “Lucille.” Sanders’ 355 is an exact replica emblazoned with the name “Lucille” across its face.
The guitar is unique in that it bears B.B.’s personal autograph on the back side of the neck between the machine heads.
Queen Iretta further explained her upbringing.
“I was born in Tunica. Johnie is from Chicago and raised on Chicago-style blues. We left there in 1999 and moved to Minnesota. We raised three children before moving back to Jackson. Mississippi has been good to us. We’ve been working steady as a team since 2000. People say we have a Chicago sound with a Mississippi twist. It’s a lot of fun, and we love what we’re doing,” she said.
When they were playing at a recent festival in Texas, Queen Iretta’s energetic stage presence inspired folks to start calling her the “Mississippi Hurricane.” Besides making regular appearances at Morgan Freeman’s Ground Zero blues club in Clarksdale, Miss., the Blues Revue travels all across the southern states as well as playing festivals in Switzerland and Italy.
The monthly Blues by Budweiser concert event is hosted by the Port City Blues Society. Port City President Dave Sadler introduced the group.
“From the moment they hit the stage, their energies ignite, and you’ll be up on your feet feeling the intoxicating, soulful intensity of Johnie’s exquisite, tasteful guitar-playing beautifully intertwining with Iretta’s passionate, dynamic voice. They dish up a delicious gumbo of favorite Blues traditional standards alongside their original Blues that will leave you feeling both satisfied and wanting more,” Sadler said.
In addition to Queen and Johnie B, the Revue consisted of a familiar face on drums, Bruce Howard. Also based in Jackson, Howard has been bluesman Bobby Rush’s drummer for decades. Although the Dec. 2 concert was Howard’s first gig with the Blues Revue, his drumming along with bass man Mike Bernard’s steady rhythm kept the music on track and in time.
The show launched with Johnie performing a handful of numbers including “Turning Point” and “Ready to Party,” while he rounded out his introductory set with Johnny Guitar Watson’s “A Real Mother for Ya.”
Before taking the stage, Queen said, “We don’t have a set playlist when we go on. I feel the audience and play to their mood.”
She started her portion of the show with a signature rendition of “Wang Dang Doodle.” She followed that up with “Sweet Home Chicago,” “Tennessee Whiskey,” “Down Home Blues,” and an original number titled “Grown A** Woman.”
The performers have six long-play CDs to their credit.