The new album, the follow up to her critically acclaimed studio album Rise, was produced by blues guitar legend Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith at Ocean Way Recording Studios in Nashville, Tenn. Joanna, Joe and the rest of the musicians on the album dug deeply and conjured up an authentic, alive, and kicking non-derivative set of Chicago Blues. Connor shares, “This is a Luther Allison song, and we chose it because we were all huge fans of his. I toured with him in Europe for almost 10 years as his opening act, so it was an honor to record this haunting piece. Joe came up with the bell idea to further capture the mood.” Watch now: Chicago-based Connor is best known as one of the reigning Queens of blue rock guitar. 4801 South Indiana Avenue is released on Joe Bonamassa’s new independent blues record label Keeping The Blues Alive today! The album is available here. “We chose the album title 4801 South Indiana Avenue because it was the actual street address of the hallowed funky blues sanctuary ‘Theresa’s Lounge,’ says Connor. “We want the listener to open that door, walk in, and feel to their core some of the magic that a place like that brought night after night. It was an honor to bring this to you, the listener.” Connor has played guitar with the who’s who of blues including the likes of James Cotton, Buddy Guy, Jimmy Page and Junior Wells. Debuting at Chicago’s premiere blues club Kingston Mines in the 1980s, she has played there three nights a week ever since, in between gigs at larger clubs and festivals, before the spread of the pandemic in 2020. An aggressively edgy and highly innovative blues-rock guitarist with a tight groove that encompasses jazz and funk, Joanna’s hailed by many as one of the most powerful and influential female guitarists on the planet. Next, do people who are tone-deaf hear music differently?
