Live

Live Performance

During his long career, Johnny has taken part in major festivals and tours in the USA, his native country, and also Australia and Europe, including the UK where he now lives.

Johnny played with BB King at the Montreux Jazz festival in 1983, and was the Preacher Man in the recording released by Bananarama in the 1990s, also featuring in their video during that time. He and his harmonica feature about two thirds of the way in to the video!

He cites his influences with the harmonica as Little Walter, Junior Wells, Jimmy Reed and Sonny Terry, and plays both the blues harmonica and his own Mars Harp on stage, sometimes on acoustic sets, and sometimes with the electronic effects which made him famous in the 1980s.

Johnny is also loved for his vocals, with a voice that has broadened and enriched as time has gone on. His repertoire includes therefore not only the great Blues and Rock ‘n Roll numbers such as Johnny Be Good, Let the Good Times Roll, Manish Boy, and Sweet Home Chicago, but also classics such as Georgia by Ray Charles and Amazing Grace (for which he improvises a beautiful harmonica riff).

The ‘Ash Ain’t Nothing But Trash’ project was an anti-smoking campaign that Johnny became involved in with various contributions that came in for free, including Technicolour who produced the film. It was organised by the British Medical Association and whatever Johnny asked for, he says, they gave him!

Johnny’s involvement with ‘Zero’ (2012-13), developed and performed by the Clod Ensemble with Sadlers Wells, was an epic experience which took him out of his comfort zone but proved his talents were equal to the trust placed in him! As main singer and performer, which included rich contributions to the sound track, he held the stage with dancers and an eclectic band, enacting a contemporary nod to the dramatic story of Shakespeare’s King Lear.

The posters, photographs and footage below, attest to his longevity and versatility, and willingness to continue to explore his potential in music.

His latest project is working with David Robinson aka the Cold Heart Revue, producing the single ‘The Man in the Red Hat which reached No. 1 in the Apple Blues Chart (2023), followed by the album which also reached No. 1 and No. 20 in the Pop Charts. They have already recorded a second album which will be released in the spring 2024.

He gained admittance to the Performing Rights Society in 1987 and is a member of the Musician’s Union.

He continues to work as a session musician and a band leader for several bands including NEJO (Northern European Jazz orchestra) in the Netherlands, the Johnny Mars Band with musicians based in Genoa, Northern Italy, and with the Craig Milverton Trio of South West UK fame! He is happy to consider tours and sessions.