Johnny Nitro (born John Lawrence Newton; September 2, 1951 – February 19, 2011)[1] was a blues vocalist, guitarist, and band leader in the San Francisco Bay Area.
[3] He regularly played at local venues, such as The Saloon and Lou's Pier 47,[4] with his band, Johnny Nitro & the Doorslammers.
[3] At 13 years old, he bought his first Fender electric guitar at a pawn shop with lunch money that he had saved.
[3] Some of Nitro's early musical influences were Beach Boys, Chuck Berry and British Invasion bands.
[1] The cultural and creative energy of SFAI of the 1970s and 1980s left a profound impact on many artists, such as Dara Birnbaum, Bill Jacobson, and Carol Szymanski.
[3] Nitro continued to live in the North Beach district of San Francisco, sometimes out of a 1947 panel truck.
He played with the Dynatones, a San Francisco-based rhythm and blues band,[11] where many local musicians began their careers.
[7] He also played at Big John & Harris’ Town Pump, a former "hillbilly bar" that attracted locals, sailors, and sex workers[12] in the Mission district.
He had very long, flaming red hair down his back and always wore old Hawaiian shirts that were popular at that time.
[7] The owner at the time, Tommy Browne, decided to offer live music shows on weekends.
Lisa Kindred, who had previously played music in the Greenwich Village folk and Chicago blues scenes, was a bartender at the Saloon at the time.
[3] The city of Oakland held a rich blues music history, with its heyday spanning from the 1930s to 1960s.
[14] As Johnny Ace commented, "I know some of that Texas-Oakland grease got into Nitro’s fingers and soul from that experience.
"[3] Nitro was influenced by other Texas blues musicians, such as Stevie Ray Vaughan and The Fabulous Thunderbirds, as well.
[3] By 1989, the band line-up changed to include Perry Welsh on harp and vocals ("a young kid just 18 out of Oakland"),[3] Scott Rabino on drums, and Stu Blank on vocals/keyboard.
[3] In the 1980s and 1990s, Johnny Nitro primarily supported himself as a working musician, often playing shows six nights per week.
Welsh left the band, and a man named Andy, from San Jose, replaced him on harp and vocals.
The song “One More Night," written by Johnny Nitro, was included in the 2004 film Twisted.
[19][20] Johnny Nitro developed a strong relationship with the North Beach community, both as a musician and mentor.
[21][19][22] As J.C. Smith, a Bay Area blues singer and guitarist, recalled: "One time I asked him why he didn't go on tour.
As Castro wrote: "The thing he liked to do the most was help musicians who had a burning desire to play to an audience.
On weekends, he frequently performed at parties and local events as the lead guitarist in two different "Cover Tune" bands.
After Moore, Nitro dated a woman named Tracy, who owned a bookstore on Polk Street.
[16] Paramedics brought down Nitro's body in a white sheet, and a crowd from the Saloon applauded in commemoration.
[1] The San Francisco Chronicle wrote, "Johnny Nitro's life ended like one of his gigs: in an old North Beach bar, on a Saturday night, surrounded by fans.
[3] In November 2019, Kim Addonizio read a poem, "Blues Guitar," at McEvoy Foundation for the Arts.