Super Chikan

Emerging late in the 1990s, James Louis Johnson—better known as Super Chikan—earned notice among the more promising new voices in blues. His compact-ensemble sound mixes lighthearted themes with an easy rhythmic groove. On guitar he stands out less for any distinctive technique than for his instruments, the Chicantars, which are built around the flattened shells of old gas cans. Only after turning forty did he leave behind his earlier jobs driving cabs, trucks, and tractors to make music full-time from a home base in Clarksdale, Mississippi.