1st annual Tulsa Roots Rocks the Green
Richard Johnston

Embracing the one-chord, deep-trance blues of the Mississippi Hill Country, Richard Johnston appeared as a street musician on the Memphis blues scene in 1997, and three years later recorded his rollicking self-produced debut, Foot Hill Stomp. Featuring guest appearances by Jessie Mae Hemphill and Cedric Burnside, it was nominated for a Handy Award, and the CD release party on Beale Street was broadcast to 20 million radio listeners. Armed with one-of-a-kind instruments (home-made cigar box guitars, among them) and a boot full of Southern grooves, Johnston is, hands down, one of our all-time favorite bluesmen.