Johnny Shines

Johnny Shines's best material crackles with energy. In his prime, his slashing slide guitar carried more of the spirit of his onetime running mate Robert Johnson than any other traditional blues artist. Shines, however, was never a Johnson imitator. He had his own sound, his own guitar style, and a voice that can still take you on a roller coaster ride. (However, he did learn from Johnson and his classic recordings. "Ramblin'" and "Dynaflow Blues" feel like Johnson's best work.) Shines has too much personal magnetism to be confused with anyone else. Like many artists of his generation, he is also master of the spoken word, a gifted storyteller, a social critic, and a historian dedicated to telling the truth. On stage or off, he pulls no punches, and his independent spirit and readiness to fight for what he perceives to be fair have no doubt ruffled the feathers of the movers and shakers in Chicago's blues business.