San Jose Has the Blues

San Jose has a story to tell that’s all its own. Our rich blues culture is an unlikely yet thriving phenomenon, despite having a smaller African American population compared to many other cities. Located in the Santa Clara Valley, with San Francisco and Oakland to the north, San Jose and the valley experienced a diverse post-war migration thanks to our orchards and canning industry, educational and technological opportunities, and our idyllic weather. Musical influences arrived from the South and Hispanic cultures in addition to our large Italian community, successfully melding many cultures. As a result of the increasing population and growing prosperity, musical acts visiting the other Bay Area cities would often make stops here at clubs like the Safari Room and Lou’s Village.

As the next generation grew up here in the valley, the world was experiencing the start of rhythm and blues, soon to be rock and roll. The great artists of the 1950s and 1960s, such as Elvis Presley and The Beatles, all attribute a great part of their inspiration to the true original blues artists of the South such as Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Willie Dixon, Big Mama Thornton, and the architects of rock and roll, Louis Jordan, Little Richard, and Chuck Berry. San Jose was exposed to big name acts such as B.B. King and Ray Charles as their tours stopped at the San Jose Civic Auditorium. Radio and eventually television shared their music on shows like San Jose’s Record Hop, American Bandstand, and the Ed Sullivan Show. Radio continues to play a large part keeping the blues community connected through local stations such as Stanford’s KZSU, Santa Clara University’s KSCU, and listener supported KKUP, where Gary Smith was the first blues DJ in 1972 and J.C. Smith, as Johnnie Cozmik, has been doing his blues show T-Bone Taxi since 1980.

In the 1960s, San Jose found success with Count Five and Syndicate of Sound, two local bands part of the “garage rock” movement influenced not only by early blues and the first British Invasion, but also with a second wave of British groups with a stronger blues-based sound such as the Yardbirds and the Rolling Stones. Bob Gonzalez, who co-wrote Syndicate of Sound’s hit “Little Girl” in 1966, continues to play a major role in our vibrant blues culture today through his own band and his long running monthly blues jam in addition to his dedication to San Jose’s own Fountain Blues & Brews Festival.

Music venues began to flourish in the 1970s and 1980s, where local musicians were able to experiment, collaborate, and nurture their talent. Some of the other successful acts out of San Jose, such as The Doobie Brothers, also soaked up the blues as they found their sound. Founder Tom Johnston heavily credited the “Three Kings” of blues guitar: Albert King, Freddie King, and B.B. King as huge inspirations. Other influences came from artists like Bo Diddley and James Brown among others. The many venues were kept full and loud with the music of many genres, including places like The Bodega in Campbell. During that time, the San Jose blues started to really shine. Many influencers were drawn to our area, including the great John Lee Hooker, who lived in Gilroy and Los Altos for several decades and frequented the local venues in between performing all over the world. And, in 1983, June Stanley and her brother Max, opened a small narrow club in a modest strip mall which has been described by many as “the epicenter” for the San Jose blues: JJ’s Blues Club became a blues breeding ground attracting both locals and established talent. San Francisco native Gary Smith, who grew up in Sunnyvale, on his way to being known as “The Godfather of San Jose Blues Harmonica“, was the opening act along with Andy Just and Sammy Varela. Gary also opened the other two JJ’s locations that followed. Legends who frequented JJ’s include not only John Lee Hooker, but Chris Cain, Albert King, Albert Collins, and Charlie Musselwhite, to name a few. As the talent flowed, blues jams sprung up, and even now you can find a blues jam or two somewhere in the valley almost every day.

The Santa Clara Valley, soon to be known as Silicon Valley, continued to lead the world in technological innovation with help from our respected centers of education, including Stanford University and San Jose State University, where Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham were once students as well as The Smothers Brothers. But thanks to Student Advisor Ted Gehrke and his students Rick Bates and Dan Ross, the Fountain Blues Festival changed the trajectory of the blues in San Jose by showcasing local talent and bringing in top-tier acts, too. The longest running blues festival in California, this beloved event is now in its 43rd year with a history book of names on its list of past performers.

As the stars aligned, a generation of blues musicians found each other in East San Jose, attracting musicians from the other side of the valley who were attracted to the music on the “grittier” side of town. A young Andy Just travelled from Cupertino on the west side of the valley to play along with Chris Cain, Sammy Varela, and others. At the same time, other talents were simmering like Tommy Castro, Noel Catura, Tim Richard, and J.C. Smith. Many are award winning artists who still travel the world sharing the heritage of our San Jose blues culture.