SINGER-GUITARIST RAWLS DELIVERS GOSPEL-TINGED R&B TO DOUBLE DOOR

By KATI SCHARDL, Knight Ridder

Johnny Rawls is in a garage in Montgomery, Ala., on a hot morning, waiting for the air-conditioning in his ancient Ford van to be repaired.

It's a situation that would strain the patience of most mortals, but his voice is as smooth and laid-back during a phone interview as it is on his recordings.

"It's just plain ol' hot," he says in his trademark deep drawl.

He could have been describing his music, which is a steamy brand of blues anchored by Rawls' masterful guitar playing. Call it "soul blues."

"Soul blues is R & B with a gospel twist to it," said Rawls, who is appearing tonight at the Double Door.

That twist is most evident in the singing, which is the heart of soul blues. Think Johnny Taylor or Otis Clay backed up by guitar licks that are slicker than a red clay road after a summer rain. It's sweet, deep soul with a dusting of gritty blues.

Rawls was born in Pervis, Miss., in the heart of blues country. He grew up watching his grandfather, John Paul Newson, play guitar. Rawls' love for music led him to take up the clarinet and saxophone in the third grade.

By the time Rawls was a teen-ager, his band director hired him to play in his band, which backed such legends as Z.Z. Hill and Joe Tex when it played the Gulf Coast. It was strong stuff for such a young man, but it was the best possible education for a future bluesman.

When Rawls was 12, his grandfather died and willed his guitar to young Johnny. Rawls taught himself to play by watching other guitarists, and before he knew it, he had fallen in love with the heady six-string magic of it.

Rawls paid his dues and honed his chops in several different bands during the early '70s.

All his hard work paid off when he returned to his roots and formed a band with the great O.V. Wright. Rawls worked as his bandleader and guitarist until Wright's death in 1980.

After Wright's death, Rawls and bandmate L.C. Luckett kept the flame alive, touring as the O.V. Wright band until 1995.

"You know, I enjoyed playing and coming up with some of the greats, feeding off them," Rawls said from Montgomery. "I was fortunate to be with the best people who ever sung a song."

In 1995, Rawls and Luckett amicably decided to go their separate ways. Rawls felt it was time to take the legacy of O.V. Wright, Johnny Taylor and the other legends who had been his teachers and meld it into something all his own.

The result was his first solo album, "Here We Go," released in 1996 to critical acclaim. The next year, Rawls produced a follow-up, "Louisiana Woman."

After 30 years of playing and touring, Rawls hasn't slowed down a bit. The 47-year-old father of three feels like he's just getting started.

"Being on the road is just a way of life for me," he said. "I probably spend a little over 200 days a year on the road. That's what it's all about.

Charlotte Observer