8:00PM (Doors 7:30PM)LBCAC Presents: Johnny Rawls
LBCAC Presents: The Father of Blues-Soul Johnny Rawls -A living legend of American blues returns by popular demand.
The Laguna Beach Cultural Arts Center welcomes back one of the true giants of American music, Johnny Rawls. Johnny Rawls is more than a soul blues legend; he is a living link to the deepest roots of American music. With a career spanning more than five decades, Rawls has earned his reputation as one of the defining voices of the soul blues tradition, widely recognized as the “Father of Soul Blues,” as well as an award-winning recording artist, producer, and songwriter. Born and raised in Mississippi, Rawls came up inside the music itself. By the age of 15, he was already backing major artists including ZZ Hill and Joe Tex. He later served as band director for O.V. Wright and Little Johnny Taylor, helping shape the sound of an era before launching his own solo career in 1985. Since then, he has released more than 15 albums, received multiple Blues Music Awards, and maintained a relentless touring schedule of nearly 200 performances a year, headlining blues festivals and commanding stages around the world. What sets Johnny Rawls apart is not just longevity, but vitality. His performances are high-energy, deeply soulful, and rooted in lived experience, songs about love, resilience, joy, heartbreak, and the shared human story that blues music has always carried. This is music that connects generations, cultures, and communities through feeling rather than fashion. After a powerful performance at LBCAC last year, Johnny Rawls returns by popular demand for another intimate evening in Laguna Beach. His return underscores something important, Orange County has become a meaningful destination for nationally touring blues artists, and the Cultural Arts Center has become a place where this music is not only performed but truly heard. This concert is more than a show, it is an opportunity to experience a master artist in a setting that honors the music, the musicians, and the audience alike. Join us for a night of world-class soul blues, shared presence, and a reminder of why this music continues to matter.
