Johnnie Ward sold his soul to the Devil in the sixth grade when, playing string bass with a Western Swing band, he accepted a shiny silver dollar from the Ladies of the Eastern Star.

During the 60's, as a teenager, he found himself sharing stages with some of the big names of the time. His bands, U.S. Cadenza and the PH Phactor Jug Band, opened for Sopwith Camel, Moby Grape, Pentangle, The Grateful Dead, The Doors, B.B. King, and others.

As a member of the Fly-by-Night Jass Band, Johnnie was on stage the legendary night that music came to The White Eagle in Portland. He and the band stayed for a good, long run. The walls of the refurbished hotel upstairs are now decorated with lyrics from many of the songs the band played in those heady days.

To put it mildly, Johnnie is a big fan of the blues. Leadbelly and Sonny Terry, heard on local radio during the brief period that he lived in Chicago and Tennessee as a child, introduced him to a style of music he would seek out and perform for the rest of his life.

During an interview with Cascade Blues Association's LynnAnn Hyde, Johnnie said, "I was playing a lot of traditional music, particularly Rag and Jazz, when I met up with Tom McFarland (Arhoolie recording artist). I began playing harmonica in his band, and before long, I was also playing sax on quite a few songs. That was when I really started to apply musical disciplines to my harp playing. I did some recording and some commercials for both radio and television. I guess you could say that the '70s were my great "teaming" years. There still wasn't much of a Blues scene going on, but I'd been slipping in Muddy's tunes for years and people seemed to enjoy the straight ahead Blues as much as they liked the Jug, Rag, and Jazz stuff."

During the late 70's, playing sax and harmonica in the renowned rock band, Rhonda Kennedy's Drivin' Sideways, Johnnie found himself missing traditional music. By now, Johnnie had a new goal -- to front his own blues band. So, in 1982, he formed JW's Big City Blues Band, one of the most popular Portland blues bands of its time.

Johnnie played with Big City Blues and Johnnie & the Jokers throughout the 80's and into the 90's, joining Bond Street in October of 1993. Previous to his official entrance into the band -- Halloween at the Driftwood in Cannon Beach --Johnnie joined Bond Street on stage at his old stomping grounds, The White Eagle, during some of their monthly performances there. He now plays harmonica, saxophone, and shares vocal duties with Joe, Spud, and Scheckie.

A Cascade Blues Society Music Award "Muddy" Winner, Johnnie has become quite well-respected for his talent with a harmonica. In addition to his work with Bond Street, he makes the rounds of Portland area harmonica blow-offs.

Outside of his recorded work with Bond Street, Johnnie is a featured artist on (among others) Flying Heart Records' "Blues From the Rose City," and UnderCover Records' "Blues From the Pacific Delta." He has performed at the most popular venues and events in the Portland area over the years. His fans have found him at Artquake, the Rose Festival, The Bite, and the Ethos Multi-Cultural Music Center. He has appeared numerous times at both the Mayor's Ball and the Waterfront Blues Fest.

You can read more about Johnnie's musical experiences and background, as well as his advice to budding blues musicians, in LynnAnn Hyde's article that appears on CBA's website.