Blues Returns to Granville

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Music Features

This year’s Granville Blues Fest, June 14-16, will be a community event with food trucks and music at 8633 W. Brown Deer Road. Live music begins 6 p.m. Friday, June 14 with Nicholas Alexander (6-7:30 p.m.) followed by Sheryl Youngblood at 8 p.m. Saturday, June 15 brings Stephen Hull (12:30-2 p.m.); Tonite Only (2:30-3:30 p.m.); Mandalyn & the Head Hunters (4-5:30 p.m.); Chicago Blues All-Stars (6-7:30 p.m.); and Carlos Johnson starting at 8 p.m. On Sunday, June 16, the music begins with Brother John Kattke (2-3:30 p.m.); NuBlu Band featuring Carlise Guy (4-5:30 p.m.), Ivan Singh (6-7:30 p.m.), capped with Mike Wheeler at 8 p.m. 

Here's a look at the headliners. 

Sheryl Youngblood

June 14

When you first hear Sheryl Youngblood sing, you get a feeling of sincerity and authenticity. She means it! Yes, her high energy approach to singing the blues, her winning stage personality and her ability to engage and entertain an audience are all desirable elements. But that aura of being genuine in her desire to lift an audience is what separates her from being “just another female Chicago blues singer.” And she comes by it honestly.

Her first singing experience was, (as it is for many Chicago blues singers) in church, singing gospel. Her mother’s group, the Royal Harmonets, provided Sheryl with a great example of how it’s done, and it provided an inspiration to pursue singing as a part of her life.

She auditioned early in her career with the Rev. Milton Brunson and the Thompson Community singers of Chicago, with whom she toured, recorded, and won a grammy award. During that time, she started playing drums and singing with many of Chicago’s blues royalty, like Bobby Rush, Buddy Guy, Otis Clay and European based Mississippi Heat among many others. The Chicago blues scene is a sort of brotherhood, or, sisterhood, and eventually, everybody plays with everybody …

In 2013, she started her own band and went on to play regularly at all of the top Chicago blues venues, as well as shows in Canada, which continues to this day.

As though that weren’t enough, Sheryl attended college and is a videographer and audio technician. A woman of many talents, Sheryl projects her enthusiasm on and off the stage, helping to entertain her audiences with her distinctive singing, and her ability to get the audience feeling like they’re a part of the show. And indeed they are, when Sheryl Youngblood sings the blues.

Carlos Johnson

June 15

The first thing you might notice about Carlos Johnson when you see him perform is his unconventional use of a right-handed guitar played upside down, ala Jimi Hendrix. This is consistent with his unconventional start, when as a child, he started playing guitar on a four-string instrument, followed by playing on a six-string guitar with only five strings. If you learn something before you know the rules, you can make your own rules.

His early musical influences were diverse. Classical music, blues, R&B, and gospel were all part of his early listening experience. In his high school glee club, he got instruction in singing, which helped develop that important set of skills. 

After high school, he put his musical aspirations on hold for a short stint in the army. When he returned to Chicago after his service, he was enlisted by Pop Taylor, husband and manager of Koko Taylor, to join her band. He began touring the world with her. This provided the opportunity to learn how to be in a popular blues group and provided him with the experience and expertise to join forces with many other Chicago blues bands including the Sons of the Blues and Son Seals, both of whom he has recorded with. He has also accompanied several female Chicago blues singers like Valerie Wellington and Big Time Sarah, extending the expertise he gained playing with Koko Taylor. His list of accomplishments is extensive, including touring internationally in countries like Poland and Japan. He is a Chicago Blues Hall of Fame inductee and has won numerous other awards.

Stylistically, Carlos is not limited to blues and his sets may include soul music, funk, blues and rock. His early diverse listening experience around the house has lasted a lifetime and extended to his unique style of performing.

Mike Wheeler

June 16

My, how Chicago blues has changed over the years. Time was, if you went out to hear some blues, you might expect to hear some heartfelt down and dirty slow blues, alternating with Jimmy Reed style “lump-de-lumps” and some swinging shuffles or jump blues, all played at a moderate volume. That was then, this is now.

These days, most blues bands playing the blues bar or festival circuit in the Chicago area could easily be confused with guitar hero rock bands and/or soul/funk outfits with thump and slap bass players, anchored by chop heavy drummers hitting a high energy groove that wouldn’t have been called blues 30 years ago. But that’s the norm now.

Even as the world of blues has changed, so too has it remained anchored in tradition. Mike Wheeler is a modern bluesman who has a foot in both worlds. Having shared the stage with well-known traditional blues stars like Koko Taylor, Buddy Guy, Shemikia Copland and B.B.King, Wheeler is rooted in the blues tradition while creating an entertaining and exciting show with his experienced band, composed of bassist Larry Williams and drummer Cleo Cole, as well as keyboardist Ronnie Hicks. These guys are all seasoned professionals who support Wheeler with authentic blues playing, as well as the more modern funk and rocked up chops that modern blues audiences have come to expect.

Wheeler is a Chicago Blues Hall of Fame inductee, and has all the credentials needed to be considered to be of the top Chicago blues journeymen, including a feature article in Living Blues magazine, festival appearances in France, Switzerland, Spain and Belgium as well as Chicago and other major blues fests around the U.S.

His appearance at the Granville Blues Fest is a highly anticipated performance that will exemplify the feeling of the blues, whether you like the traditional approach, or the more modern stylings.

For complete details visit granvillebusiness.org/granville-blues-fest.