Born and raised in the "Windy City",
John O. Nelson was exposed to the
musical melting pot that filled the
airwaves of that mid-western city.
Leaving Chicago for good in his late
teens, John found himself in
Boulder, CO where he fronted or
shared leadership in numerous
incarnations of R & B-based
bands that played the regional
venues. Local entertainment
reviews frequently recognized
the distinctive, bluesy vocals
put out by 'Johnny O.',
when his bands were the
featured act, as well as
opening act, for national
touring artists. These shows
often ended in jam sessions
with such legends as Muddy
Waters, Willie Dixon, Johnny
Shines, James Cotton, John
Hammond, Jr. and Elvin
Bishop.
In 2002 John performed with
Solomon Burke at the Wiltern
Theatre in Los Angeles as opening
act for The Rolling Stones.

Leonard 'Grif' Griffie began his
music career as a southern California
teen. The son of a life long
professional guitarist, he took to
the instrument as if born to play.
Though the Los Angeles area
nightclubs mostly required him
to play the popular rock music
of the day, Grif's guitar was
always pure blues with a little
jazz mixed in. An early
interest in blues-rockers like
Eric Clapton, Jim Hendrix,
and Johnny Winter led him
to seek out their influences.
After years of studying and
absorbing the music of
favorites like Freddie, Albert,
and BB King; as well as Buddy
Guy, Otis Rush, Albert Collins
and literally dozens more, Grif
has developed into a unique
instrumental and vocal stylist.
“The bLUESdUSTERS
serve up their songs
in a way that’s both
familiar and fresh...
like a new twist on
an old family recipe”-
Solomon Burke
Original Blues written and performed with deep reverence to the classic
Blues and R&B sounds of the 1950's and 60's.
ROOTSTONE PRODUCTIONS • PO Box 43 • Ashland, OR 97520 Email: Rootstone@bluesdusters.com

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