For Immediate Release April, 2011

THE SOUL OF JOHN BLACK’s “GOOD THANG” TO BE RELEASED BY YELLOW DOG RECORDS: JUNE 7th, 2011

Twenty-first-century soul man John “JB” Bigham blends the sounds of Stax and the space age on Good Thang, by his alter-ego/band the Soul of John Black.

Good Thang explores the terrain of R&B, rock, pop, and electronica, but it’s also about love — JB’s love for classic soul and blues, love of driving old-school synth-funk bass, and, most important, love for his family. At the heart of this collection of feel-good grooves are the title track and “Lil Mama’s in the Kitchen” — graceful essays on the joys of domestic bliss that capture Good Thang’s distinctive mix of organic sounds and cutting-edge production.

This disc follows 2009’s Black John, which yielded the radio hit “Betty Jean,” and 2007’s The Good Girl Blues, a funky blend of classic and modern blues, soul, rock, funk and hip-hop. JB’s unique stylistic fusion has won praise from Rolling Stone, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, National Public Radio, Blues Revue and others.

JB’s musical resume includes touring and recording with fellow trailblazers Miles Davis, Dr. Dré, Nikka Costa (who sings back-up on Good Thang), Eminem and Everlast, but his own experimental roots go back to the eight years he spent playing guitar and keyboards in pioneering ska-funk-punk band Fishbone — all of which helps explain the evolutionary nature of Good Thang, the Soul of John Black’s fourth recording.

“I really wanted to do an album that would set me free in a lot of ways,” Bigham explains. “Part of that freedom was giving myself permission to explore and combine anything I wanted, whether that was what I felt in my heart about my family, or blending sounds from different eras and genres that normally wouldn’t be associated. Some of the artists who were signposts for me are Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, Johnnie Taylor, Jerry Butler and George Clinton. When I grow up, I want to sing like George Clinton. I love so many different styles of music, but I am a soul man at heart.”

So Good Thang offers a seamless mesh of modern pop hooks and classic soul grooves, of electronic bass and organic guitar riffs, all supporting the grit, guts and spirit that resonates in JB’s honey-and- bourbon voice.

Good Thang had its genesis in Bigham’s decision to stop touring during his fiancé’s pregnancy. “When I got an idea for the song that became ‘Strawberry Lady,’ ” he says, “that pointed me in the direction of the rest of the album.”

“Strawberry Lady,” with its mix of handclaps, acoustic slide resonator guitar, gliding organ, synth- bass and JB’s warm ‘n’ swinging vocal melody, has the makings of a feel-good summer hit. And while Bigham admits “I didn’t know exactly where it was going to lead me, ‘Strawberry Lady’ made me want to refine the elements of pop music — hooks and melodies — that I’ve always been interested in exploring more.”

1 The tune also planted a sonic seed. “I had the track’s Moog bass sound in my head so I decided I wanted to hear the low end on most of the CD go “boomp” and “bong” — those cool bottom tones like you hear on ‘80s albums. Then the rest just started to slowly pull itself together.”

Bigham produced Good Thang at three home studios in Los Angeles: JB’s own Whitley Manor, 21st Century and Baked Beans. JB plays guitars, while other musicians include drummer Oliver Charles and keyboardist Adam McDougall, with additional vocals by Jonell Kennedy. The recordings were mixed by Richard “Segal” Huredia.

The main artery of Good Thang pulses in the title cut and “Lil Mama’s in the Kitchen,” JB’s true tales of hearth and heart that trump the playboy attitude of Black John’s saucy “Betty Jean.”

“Those songs tell the story of how it is for me now,” he says. “These are good times. I love my family and I love my life, and I wanted to incorporate those good feelings into my music.

“When I wrote ‘Good Thang,’ I was in my giant walk-in closet, where I set up my home studio to make more room for the baby, who was about two months old at the time. I looked out into the living room and saw my fiancé and my baby together on the couch watching television and I thought, ‘When I’m at home/I’m never alone/I got my baby”… because I’ve got both my baby and my baby. Those became the first lines of the song.”

What came next is a groove that recalls the protean soul-funk of the 1950s, in the days before Motown, when labels like Houston’s Duke/Peacock and Memphis’ Hi and Stax were black America’s hit factories.

“Lil’ Mama’s in the Kitchen” is a similar slice of verité, propelled by a bed of acoustic and electric guitars and synth strings to create a more contemporary pop sensibility. But JB’s sentiments are timeless as he sings in a classic red-clay soul voice about the alluring smells of breakfast on the stove, and ponders the pleasures and responsibilities of fatherhood: “We’re making our way through the transitions/Man, I got to stay on my mission/And bring home some pay.”

Reflecting on his own strong family connections made Bigham aware of the isolation that many feel during these fast-paced times, and prompted the disc’s opener “Digital Blues” — a song about how computer culture substitutes for real human contact. The cool, infectious number chugs over an elegant guitar and conga groove that recalls the great soul dance hits of the ’70s, like Johnnie Taylor’s 1976 smash “Disco Lady,” which sat atop Billboard’s pop charts for six weeks.

Despite JB’s modernist instincts, The Soul of John Black’s foundation lies in the music JB was exposed to while growing up in Chicago. “My first real gig was playing guitar for El DeBarge when I moved out to Los Angeles,” Bigham says, “but I learned about music when I was a kid, from my friends, my parents and the radio. In Chicago a lot of soul-blues was popular, and even doo-wop, but when I got turned on to Jimi Hendrix, as a guitar player there was no turning back. I became a super Jimmy Page fan, and Mick Ronson with David Bowie. I even went through my John Coltrane phase. Oddly enough, I didn’t get into really deep old school blues until I was working with Miles Davis and he recorded songs with John Lee Hooker for the soundtrack to a movie called The Hot Spot.

“That music affected me profoundly. John Lee Hooker became one of my main guys,” Bigham offers. “I also figured that if his music and Miles Davis’ could blend so beautifully, I should be able to find my own way of combining everything that I love. And that’s what the Soul of John Black is about.”

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