by Jim Kelton

(appearing Friday, April 12th, 9pm, at the Backstage, Seattle)

Johnny Lang is tooling out of San Antonio "in the van" on his way to another gig in Texas and he
isn't worried about anything. "San Antone was fine," he says over the buzz of his cellular phone, "I met
lotsa girls."
That's almost a given in his case. He's 16 years old, has a dynamite debut album in Lie To Me on a
first-rate label (A&M) and has already been heralded by the media as a blues phenomenon in the making.
He's even been on the cover of Seventeen magazine. Everything looks peachy.
The obvious question is how he learned to play blues like someone much older and sing songs such
as "Good Morning Little School Girl," "Matchbox" and "Darker Side" in a believable style only three
years after discovering the blues and first picking up guitar. His answer: "I practiced a lot and played
around with musicians who really kicked my butt."
Lang started out playing saxophone in school band in his native Fargo, N.D. That gave him a
musical foundation. "I went to my first live show when I was 12 and it was a blues show," he said.
He was hooked.
Now he's attracting crowds that include fans of all ages. "The blues is so universal," he said. And he
appreciates their depth. "The history is half of it for me."
His all-time favorite bluesman is the late Albert Collins. He never got a chance to hear Collins live
but he's made up for that trick of fate by jamming with the likes of Lonnie Brooks and Buddy Guy,
who treat him as one who deserves every bit of the hype that's being lavished on him. He's not
letting it go to his head however.
"I don't really have anything in mind," he said. "I'm not in any big hurry to get famous. I just wanta
take it easy so I don't get burned out."
Creative immolation doesn't appear imminent at this point. He has a tutor on the road and he's
planning on graduating from high school this year so he has plenty to learn. Nevertheless, he's carrying
classic blues to a new generation in the grand fashion and 's both starry-eyed and down-to-earth about such
dazzling developments as recording part of Lie To Me in the legendary blues-and-rock 'n' roll crucible of
Memphis. "Memphis is my favorite place," he said. "I like it better than New Orleans. I love the smell of
food in the air."
Elvis couldn't have said it better.