John Kattke studied classical piano as a kid, played with some blues bands and jam bands around Chicago (where he was nicknamed “Brother John”), and then got hired in 1991 by Buddy Guy as keyboardist for the “damn right I got the blues” tour. A 12-year-old Derek Trucks opened the show with his band in Jacksonville, Florida and then came up at the end of Buddy’s show to jam with the band.
1995 found John working with Larry McCray, who was the first artist to record Warren Haynes’ song “Soul Shine.”
From 1995-1998 John played guitar with the Otis Rush blues band.
Thanksgiving weekend 1998 John was playing a short New England tour with Koko Taylor. Susan Tedeschi, being a big fan of Koko, stopped by the show and introduced herself.
Later in 1998 John auditioned as guitarist for the Black Crowes. Chris Robinson had heard him play guitar with Otis Rush in NYC; but they ended up hiring Jimmy Page for their next tour.
The late 90s and 2000s found John mostly leading his own band at Buddy Guy’s Legends, where he’d been hosting the Blue Monday jam sessions for years, but now also backing traveling artists including Robert Ward (founding member of the Falcons along with Wilson Pickett), Earl King (prolific songwriter from New Orleans, whose material went on to be recorded by Professor Longhair, the Neville Brothers, Jimi Hendrix, etc.), Bo Diddley, Johnnie Johnson, Sugar Pie DeSanto, Matt “Guitar” Murphy, etc.
John has done various freelance work like playing keyboards and writing horn arrangements for Toronzo Cannon’s “Chicago Way” CD, filling in on keyboards with Dan Akroyd and Jim Belushi, playing at the Chicago Blues Festival with Mary Lane, Joe Morganfield, Sheryl Youngblood, and Willie Henderson’s soul revue; playing keys with Jaimoe’s Jasssz band - but for the last decade he’s mostly been leading his own “Brother John” band around Chicago, also singing and playing keys on Dave Specter’s last few Delmark releases.
John now joins forces with Revelator!
https://youtube.com/@johnkattke1114
https://www.facebook.com/brotherjohnkattke?mibextid=LQQJ4d
http://www.johnkattke.com/shows/
