James "Super Chikan" Johnson

Mississippi Delta bluesman and visual artist James “Super Chikan” Johnson plays the guitars he makes himself, using repurposed materials from gas cans to ceiling fans. He paints each “chikantar” with images from the Delta. The resulting riot of style and color is, like his music, infused with Chikan’s special joie de vivre. “Making one of my guitars is like writing one of my songs. I let the words and feelings take me from the beginning to the end,” he explains. His lyrics, like his art, are noted for both their sly humor and deep insight into life in the Delta.

Super Chikan was born in the small Delta community of Darling in 1951 and grew up in rural towns around the area. As a young boy, he loved conversing with the family chickens, so his friends gave him the nickname “Chikan Boy.” Later, he picked up the other half of his moniker for his speedy driving.

Johnson came from a musical family, and like many Mississippi blues musicians, his first instrument was a diddley bow. He switched to guitar in his early teens, and soaked up the blues from great bluesmen like his uncle Big Jack Johnson, and neighbors Sam Carr and Frank Frost. In his early twenties, Super Chikan cut his teeth playing bass with this trio. It wasn’t until the 1990s, however, that he embarked on his own professional music career, beginning a series of exuberant recordings.

Since the success of his first record, Johnson has toured worldwide and earned well-deserved recognition in his home state, including the Mississippi Governor’s Arts Award. Despite his international travel, he remains dedicated to his home region and state. Super Chikan still performs in Clarksdale clubs on a regular basis, and his one-of-a-kind, handmade instruments have become integral to his artistic persona.