I recently came across a newspaper article I wrote in early January 1997. My friend and former band mate Johnny Heartsman had passed away and I had written a few thoughts about him. The paper asked if they could publish them, which I allowed.

Johnny played on many of the blues recordings that came out of the Oakland/San Francisco Bay Area in the 50’s and 60’s. His first record was playing bass on Jimmy Wilson’s “Tin Pan Alley“, a song that was later covered by many people including Stevie Ray Vaughan and Little Milton. At the session John’s bridge on his bass broke so he used an empty pint bottle as the bridge. You won’t find that story in any book, but I’m telling you now. Later on, he played guitar on the Ray Agee version and, if possible, makes even darker than the original.

In 1957 Johnny had a national hit with “Johnny’s House Party“.

John played guitar and did the arrangement on Tiny Powell’s “My Time After a While“. Listen to Buddy Guy’s re-recording a few months later and you can hear an almost complete mirror performance. That was Buddy’s first hit and it owed a huge debt to Heartsman.

Heartman’s guitar is unmistakable on Jimmy McCracklin’s “Every Night and Every Day“. That’s him on Al King’s rendition of the Lowell Fulson tune “Reconsider Baby“. He wrote and recorded “Green Power” for Jesse James in 1968. He also wrote and played on Joe Simon’s “Trouble“.

Dig John’s flute playing on “Tongue“. He pioneered the use of flute in modern blues. It had been played on early recordings from fife and drum groups but John modernized it in a similar way that Roland Kirk did in jazz.

For a sample of him on organ check out “Paint My Mailbox Blue” which also features one his his signature vocalized stand-up bass solos.

He was on Sugar Pie DeSanto’s “I Want to Know“. She woke him in the night to record that one.

I enjoyed the gigs Johnny and I did together. He introduced me as “Sacramento’s Gift to the World” which still makes me laugh. I wanted to use him on my first album “Society for the Misunderstood” but I didn’t have the money. That came out around the same time as his album “The Touch”. He later let me know how much he liked my album.

In the end, we were two musicians of different eras, both alphas, who found a common ground in blues and jazz. I was rewarded for the effort in inviting him to form a trio with me. I learned some things, but mostly we just played some music and I think we both had a good time. I would never have played with Jimmy Smith if I didn’t have the trio with Heartsman.

I played at his memorial in the Bay Area with Sugar Pie DeSanto and others. There was a tribute concert I played in Sacramento as well with Johnny “Guitar” Knox and Little Charlie and the Nightcats.

Here’s a video of him a couple years before I got to know him.

Thanks for the memories Mr. Heartman.