DEEP BLUES FEST @FB/ @Insta/ Web
I first interacted with the great Chris Johnson...it’s been so long ago now I can’t think of what year...via the old Yahoo group Too Bad Jim. Some of my oldest friends, quite I few I’ve still never met, were part of that group, and some of them went on to be kind of a big deal in our little niche world of punk-infected blues music. As a result of that group, I started a webpage that morphed into a blog called Real Deep Blues where I’d spiel (as opposed to review because I’m not qualified to critique plus I only wrote about artists whose music I liked...I couldn’t stand the thought of writing negatively about these barely known bands who were just trying to do their thing....but I guess I digress) about bands/artists I liked and wanted other people to know about. One day Chris Johnson calls me up and tells me he was going to start a fest and wanted to name it The Deep Blues Festival after my Deep Blues blog if I was cool with it. Hell, I stole the name from the book by Robert Palmer and the documentary by Robert Mugge so hell yeah I was cool with it. The Deep Blues Festival will be 16 years old this October.
Chris was one of the most generous and authentic guys I’ve ever known. He was a major fan and follower of The Black Keys (Dan Auerbach had been part of the Too Bad Jim group) and knew I’d never had the chance to see them so last year for my birthday he invited me to Clarksdale, Mississippi to stay at his home away from home The Den and go see the Keys over in Oxford, Mississippi. It was one of the most memorable weekends of my life. Chris knew of my interest in the tragic death of Emmitt Till so he and his son Jack and I drove all over Mississippi visiting all the sites associated with Till’s murder...including driving across a farmers field to get to the barn where it was believed Till had first been taken. We also drove to the Sam Chatmon fest in Hollandale, Mississippi. All things I never would have done on my own.
Oh, and that first Deep Blues Festival? Chris flew me up to Wisconsin so I could attend. I could go on and on about Chris but I’ll just tell you about this photo. It was taken at the Blues chapel at the Shack Up Inn outside Clarksdale. I finally had the opportunity to thank Chris for all that he’d done to support this alt-Blues, punkass blues, or whatever you want to call it and for just being a quality dude.
I’m heartbroken for his lovely wife Kristen and their wonderful kids. I know he loved his family so much and was so proud of them.
I’m sure it will take a few days for the magnitude of the loss of Chris Johnson to kick in. I will always cherish the memories of Chris and the opportunities he gave me and more importantly the opportunities he gave countless artists to play a really cool festival surrounded by people who loved them. That love is I think what separates the DBF from other fests. The dude standing next to you watching the UKs Mudlow, or Ireland’s Bonnevilles or those Massholes Ten Foot Pole Cats, or Devin Miller, or etc etc etc we’re probably the next band to step on the stage. Everybody is equal at DBF, which is so beautifully punk rock.
Rest In Peace and Power Chris. You made a mark, and you realized your "artistic vision." You will be missed.
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Chris' lovely wife Kristen has posted an obit:
Chris Ryan Johnson, (60), of Hudson, Wisconsin, suffered a heart attack and passed away on April 19, 2023 at The Den in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Chris was born to Ronald Vern Johnson and Sylvia Joanne Larsen Johnson on February 24, 1963 in Jackson, Minnesota. He attended Jackson High School and graduated from St. Olaf College with degrees in mathematics and economics. Chris went onto work as CFO of Fritzie Fresh Candy Company, manage and promote many bands, establish his own music festival, as well as own and operate his restaurant the Bayport BBQ. In his “retirement” he sorted through his collection of 75,000 records for his online record store. He married his wife, Kristen Pate Johnson, (55), on September 30, 1994, in St. Paul, Minnesota, and is survived by her and their three children, Jack Ryan, (24), Elizabeth Laura, (22), and Sam Pate (20), as well as his mother and four older siblings, Mark Ronald Johnson, (68), Peter Randal Johnson, (66), Lynn Renee Carlson, (64), and Paul Robert Johnson, (61). Chris enjoyed traveling with his family, eating foods from every cuisine, attending concerts and music festivals, and is well known as a champion for the Deep Blues community. He will be remembered for his quiet compassion, his strong sense of justice, his love for his wife, children, and community, and living by his own rules.
A casual memorial service will be held at the Hook and Ladder in Minneapolis on Sunday, April 23 at 6:30pm.
In place of flowers, an angel fund has been created for Clarksdale, a community Chris held close to his heart, and donations can be made through Heaven’s to Betsy via this link:
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