Joanna Connor – 8/21

“Music chose me. I vividly recall trying to sing like Louis Armstrong’s ‘Hello Dolly’ in our Brooklyn apartment. It came on the radio often. I knew I was small, but when I researched what year this version was on the charts, I was floored with the realization that I was two years old!”

And so, Joanna Connor’s musical odyssey began. The soundtrack of her childhood in her adopted hometown of Worcester, Massachusetts, was diverse and bounteous. The Blues were part of the lexicon. Joanna’s favorite record as a child was Taj Mahal’s “Take A Giant Step/ The Old Folks At Home”.

Seeing Buddy Guy perform at a local university at the age of 10 left a paramount impression. Playing saxophone, guitar and singing through her school years were her passions, and eventually led to her performing professionally at age 17. Her hunger to become a guitarist and her desire to immerse herself in the Blues propelled her to move to Chicago in 1984.

“It was my university. I went out every night of the week. Within a month I had my first gig with the legendary Johnny Littlejohn. A few weeks later I became a part of Dion Payton and the 43rd St Bluesband. We were the house band at the Checkerboard Lounge, on the south side of Chicago, then owned by Buddy Guy. That’s when my schooling kicked into overdrive. I played with Buddy, Junior Wells, Otis Rush, Sammy Lawhorn, Pinetop Perkins, Hubert Sumlin, Magic Slim, Son Seals, Lonnie Brooks, Koko Taylor, just to name a few. I was blessed.”

Joanna formed her own band in 1988 with weekly appearances at Kingston Mines in Chicago. Her guitar playing and distinctive vocals led to a debut album, Believe It, on Blind Pig Records in 1990.

National and international press and radio attention resulted in a decade of world tours, numerous recordings on Ruf Records, MC Records and others, a documentary on Germany’s WDR Television, and many TV and radio appearances.

Joanna and her band have shared stages with artists including Luther Allison, BB King, Screaming Jay Hawkins, Robben Ford, Danny Gatton, Robert Cray, Jimmy Page, ZZ Top, Joe Cocker, and Etta James. She has held endorsement deals with Gibson Guitars, Victoria Amps, LaBella Strings, Mesa Boogie Amps, and Orange Amps.

In 2005 she took a hiatus from touring to spend time at home raising her young daughter. Long residencies at the House of Blues and Kingston Mines further honed her guitar and vocal work.

A handful of videos of her slide guitar solos went viral, drawing wide attention. Joe Bonamassa produced 4801 South Indiana, which was released in February 2021 and reached number one on the Billboard blues chart.

Event details:
- Doors: 5:30 PM
- Showtime: 7:00 PM
- Date: August 21, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
- Event category: Live Music
- Event tags: Blues, Joanna Connor

Venue:
- The 443 Social Club & Lounge
- 443 Burnet Ave, Syracuse, NY 13203

Ticket info:
- The 443 is an intimate listening room with table service that seats 75 people.
- The green squares/circles on the floor plan are bar-height tables, and the orange squares are regular-height tables.
- Most seats are sold as “Tables for Two” — the ticket admits TWO people.
- A limited number of single seats are available; single attendees may share a table with other singles.
- Multiple tickets purchased under the same name will automatically be seated together (up to 6 people).
- Requesting a specific table is a perk reserved for our VIP Patron members.
- If anyone in your party needs special seating arrangements — walker, cane, service animal, wheelchair, low table requirement, or you want to be seated with another party — please EMAIL US after you place your order, and we’ll make it happen.
- All tickets are WILL CALL — no need to print anything out, just give your name at the door.

Links:
- Website: https://www.joannaconnorwreckingcrew.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joanna.connor.14
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joannaconnorguitar/
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0MJGyEl8BgJbBTv3xeeFeB?si=YgQugrNmS0SE2J3aUdis3g
- Video: https://youtu.be/JUj5-MAcoiY?si=MWlJEhLUpg3H8lIa
- Tickets (Eventbrite): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/joanna-connor-at-the-443-social-club-tickets-1987343255174?aff=oddtdtcreator