$3 at the gate. Beverages are available for purchase. Bring your lawn chair!
Studebaker John Grimaldi was born in an Italian-American section of Chicago and started playing harmonica at age 7. Under the spell of music he heard on Maxwell Street, Chicago’s famed blues melting pot, Grimaldi began performing as Studebaker John and the Hawks in the ‘70s. The band referenced the Studebaker Hawk, a car Grimaldi still owns today, and was also intended as a tribute to his friend, J.B. Hutto and the Hawks. John began playing guitar after a life-changing experience of seeing Hound Dog Taylor and the Houserockers perform.
“…Hound Dog started playing, hitting notes that sent chills up and down my spine. He was versatile and powerful and would play rhythm as well as leads. I left there knowing what I wanted to do. I had to play slide guitar.”
Through the 70s and 80s John recorded several albums and was fast becoming a rising star in the Blues world. In 1994 he recorded the first of 4 albums on Blind Pig Records. John’s unique songwriting talents, and his blazing guitar and harmonica technique, create a new sound that transports the blues genre into the 21st century. His music can be heard in movie soundtracks, TV series and national TV commercials. Studebaker John & the Hawks have continued to perform at top venues and festivals around the world with their steamy blues and smokin’ blues-rock, incorporating Chicago, boogie, swamp, swing, and harmonica blues.