Johnny Dyer

Biography Dyer grew up in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, and learned to play the harmonica from the age of seven. His initial inspiration came from hearing Little Walter on radio station from Nashville, Tennessee, and by his teenage years he was playing acoustic harmonica and had formed his own band. He started playing amplified harmonica in the early 1950s, when he first performed alongside Smokey Wilson. where he met George "Harmonica" Smith. Together they played concerts with a "father and son" billing. Dyer commented on that time stating, "Smith was the hottest thing around and the blues was really swinging! He taught me a lot. Everybody loved George." Following this Dyer set up his own combo, Johnny Dyer and the Blue Notes, and played with Jimmy Reed, J. B. Hutto, and Jimmy Rogers. and, in 1983, issued the album Johnny Dyer and the LA Jukes album. The album, Jukin''', released in 1996, was a reissue of Dyer's debut LP with additional tracks. It contained Dyer's version of "Baby What You Want Me to Do".

He appeared on the bill at the Long Beach Blues Festival in 2000, where he sang alongside James Cotton. Over the years he was a featured performer on Mark Hummel's annual Blues Harmonica Blowout tours.

Dyer received a Blues Music Award nomination in 2004, in the 'Blues Song Of The Year' category, for the track "Hard Times Won." He has also spent time playing with The Mannish Boys, and has appeared on a number of their album releases.

His final album was Rolling Fork Revisited'' (2004), recorded with Mark Hummel. The album contained reworkings of songs by another Rolling Fork native, Muddy Waters.

Dyer died at home in San Dimas, California, on November 11, 2014, at the age of 75.

Discography Albums Blind Pig Records 1996 Rolling Fork Revisited''Mountain Top Productions2004