"Deeply influenced by both gospel and soul, by his teenage years he was a guitarist backing Z.Z. Hill and Joe Tex. Rawls went on to serve as long-time musical director for O.V. Wright, a role he maintained until Wright's death in 1980."
"Wright continued leading the band, backing and collaborating with Bobby Bland, B.B. King and many other greats. As a recording artist, Rawls debuted with 1989's You're the One. To date he has released more than 20 albums."
Johnny Rawls, a native of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, exemplifies soul blues through his deep roots in gospel and soul music. Beginning his career as a teenager, he served as a guitarist for prominent artists Z.Z. Hill and Joe Tex. Rawls became the long-time musical director for O.V. Wright, maintaining this position until Wright's death in 1980. Throughout his career, he has backed and collaborated with legendary blues musicians including Bobby Bland and B.B. King. As a recording artist, Rawls released his debut album You're the One in 1989 and has since produced more than 20 albums, with Make Them Dance being his most recent release in 2025.
Read at Metro Silicon Valley | Silicon Valley's Leading Weekly
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]