John
Farrell Logan got his nickname by playing Little Walter's harmonica-instrumental
gem, "Juke," incessantly. Rockin', multi-media-style,
in the music world for over 3 decades, Juke's worked with countless major
recording artists and musical trendsetters, such as Ry Cooder, Albert
Collins, Leon Russell, & Los Lobos. Like attracts like.
And then there's radio. Juke was one of the most respected and popular blues jocks on Southern California radio (teamed with co-host Ellen Bloom, for National Public Radio affiliate KPCC, LA's "Friday Nite Blues Revue"). Sadly, the station's format changed in early 2000, as is so often the case in Los Angeles, so the Friday Nite Blues Revue will have to remain in people's hearts and heads. Juke and Ellen played host to a good many wonderful artists throughout the years, and have gathered together a CD of one of a kind in studio performances....it's called "Friday Nite Live" and is availible on the Pacific Blues label
Yeah, his harp blows on a ton of commercials.
Keep your ears peeled for his work with Ry Cooder. Dig both for the soundtrack
of 1984's "Streets of Fire" film, and for the blues-based feature,
"Crossroads." Logan played off-camera harmonica for the star
and worked behind the scenes as coach, composer, and consultant. You want
more? OK, how about "La Bamba" to "Midnight Run" to
"Heathers." And if you have a TV, Juke's harp was prominent
on the theme and score of the original "Roseanne" show for 9
seasons. He plays bass harmonica on the "Home Improvement" theme.
You'll find Juke's music tucked into more than a few soundtracks, too.
"You tell beautiful
stories..." - Carlos Santana
to John "Juke" Logan JOHN "JUKE" LOGAN MINI-ARTICLE:
L.A. WEEKLY "Mixology" (by Michael Ventura) - Michael Ventura Hey,
if you wanna read more about Juke from one of his fans, head on over to
a terrific site devoted to harp players---- Bassharp.com/juke 
So
now, he is a partner in his own dream, Mocombo Records. Logan explains
his artistic agenda: "I've always thought of myself, musically, as
being in the people-movin' business. That's what we're trying to do with
Mocombo's music - melodically, lyrically, emotionally, spiritually and
rhythmically. Also central to this music are the rhythms of the City of
Los Angeles, my hometown... multi-textural and multi-cultural rhythms...
all the time bustin' through and messin' with ya..."
Join
in on this Renaissance artist's latest creation, and enjoy the ride.
"'THE
BLUES HAD A BABY AND THEY NAMED IT ROCK & ROLL' - Willie Dixon wrote
that lyric not too long ago, summing up a lot of our history. He used
to say, 'I am the blues', and no one disputed him. Last Wednesday,
on the night of Dixon's death, bluesman John "Juke" Logan played
the Mint. Juke had played with Willie Dixon on many occasions, so the
gig seemed a good place to say goodbye to that giant. The joint was packed,
wall-to-wall and front-to-back, with folks who mostly hadn't been born
when the Rolling Stones, Creedence and the Doors did their famous covers
of Dixon's great tunes; the parents of this audience were small children
when the originals came out, such is the great stream of the blues through
the generations. Juke Logan's All Stars, featuring Brenda Burns, played
hard and dug deep, and harp player Johnny Dyer sat in, and folks were
so into it that most hardly noticed when Stevie Wonder and his friends
squeezed through the crowd. Juke was as surprised as anybody, but his
band didn't miss a beat as Mr. Wonder got up on stage and joined in, and
people went even crazier when they realized who was singing the blues
to them now. Mr. Dixon - the Hoochie-Coochie Man, the Back Door Man, the
Seventh Son, the Man with the Spoonful - would have laughed with happiness
to see it."