If you are a lover of the blues, you will be in musical heaven on Sat. April 30, as the acclaimed Mt. Airy duo, The Two Johns, performs some soul-stirring blues reminiscent of great artists such as Robert Johnson, Blind Willie McTell, Skip James and Mississippi Fred McDowell.
The concert is at 8 p.m. at the Royal, which opened last year at 1 S. Easton Rd. in Glenside.
Not surprisingly, The Two Johns consists of two Johns. The first, John Colgan-Davis, is a retired social studies teacher known to many locals as the harmonica player for the rockin' blues band The Dukes of Destiny. The second, Johnny Never (birth name John Carleton), channels the spirit and soul of the original Delta and Piedmont blues greats. His music is inspired by the old-time blues masters, and his original compositions are delivered through deft finger-style guitar work and a voice that rings with authenticity.
“The Two Johns perform all the old classics with an easy elan, and their originals have a familiar and timeless ring,” according to Jamey Reilly, of Jamey's House of Music, in Lansdowne.
The Two Johns was an applause magnet last year when they played three gigs at Second Saturday events on July 10, Aug. 14 and Sept. 11 in front of what was Santander Bank in Chestnut Hill.
Colgan-Davis, his late wife Penny and their son Evan moved from Germantown to Mt. Airy 32 years ago. “We loved the area immediately,” he recalled. “When we moved in, the community association had a carrot cake and a card on the front step welcoming us to the neighborhood.”
Colgan-Davis got hooked on the blues when he was a member of the Folk Music Club at Central High School in the mid-1960s, where they heard classic bluesmen like Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee and Rev. Gary Davis at club meetings.
“We actually had concerts by some of these folks at Central!” said Colgan-Davis, “but it was seeing Howlin' Wolf on the TV show 'Shindig!' in 1965 that got me into playing harmonica. I loved his voice, his presence and his way of controlling the stage. When I saw him, I said, 'That's what I want to do!' I love the tone and sound of the harmonica; it just cuts through me.
“Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Little Walter, James Cotton, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells and B.B. King were my first loves in electric blues,” he said. “The strength and force of the music, the tones and phrasing just captured me. I not only got to see these great musicians play, I was fortunate enough to meet and jam with many of them.”
Johnny Never, who is also from Mt. Airy, became interested in the blues as a teenager. He tried to teach himself to play it on the guitar.
“When I first was attracted to the blues, I really didn't have much talent for music in general, so I explored other interests. But I was always drawn back by the old blues that kept dancing in my head and finally started performing in my mid-40s, 20 years ago,” he said last week. “I can't really explain why. It just felt like an organic part of me and still does. It is something I have to do, like breathing. I have no choice.”
Of course, Johnny is often asked where the name “Never” came from. Several decades ago, he played in a garage band (actually, a basement band because they played in a basement) that played some of the music of the then-hot act, The Neville Brothers.
“One wise guy decided to call us the Never Brothers because we never finished a song and never practiced, and Johnny Never was the name assigned to me back then. It was kind of a lark.”
The Two Johns met each other in 2017 through a teacher colleague and musician named Brian Kors. The Two Johns sat in with Kors on a gig in Montgomery County. They clicked together like French fries and ketchup, so they played more gigs together, recorded a CD called “Blue Delta” in 2020 and have been in a musical marriage ever since.
“I love Johnny's playing,” Colgan-Davis said. “It reminds me of acoustic players I love, especially the Robert Johnson, Delta slide things he does. And I love the way we listen and play off each other; it produces some great sounds and powerful feelings. And playing acoustically, which I haven't done much of since helping to form The Dukes of Destiny in 1985, has me listening differently, trying new things and discovering new riffs and sounds.”
For more information about the April 30 gig, visit theroyalglenside.com. Len Lear can be reached at lenlear@chestnuthilllocal.com
