Winter’s Song

Blues singer-harmonica player James Harman has performed all over the world, but this Saturday he’ll be on stage at Smokin’ Johnnie’s in the Valley.

The Studio City venue is relatively small for someone of Harman’s professional stature. He’s regularly on tour in 18 countries for about 250 dates a year. But the Orange County-based performer has his reasons for taking the Valley gig.

“I don’t travel when it’s icy and cold,” said Harman. “I’m too old, and I’ve done it. Where it’s cold, I’m not going out there.”

So during the winter months, Harman, 51, restricts his performances to places where the sun shines: tropical islands, the South, and, of course, the West Coast.

“Every winter I come back to California,” Harman said. “I always work in California.”

So he’s playing Smokin’ Johnnie’s and some other smaller Southland venues this winter. Despite his success, Harman knows it’s still a matter of spreading the word, being seen and heard by new audiences.

The Smokin’ Johnnie gig means adding “50 people to my mailing list,” Harman said. “It’s grass-roots politics. I’m out to get 300 new names on my mailing list” over the winter.

Harman grew up in Anniston, Ala., about halfway between Birmingham and Atlanta, Ga. “I had to get out of there,” Harman remembers. “I ran away from being a hick. I wanted to be a blues guy.”

The blues and R&B; music seemed exotic to Harman, who spent his teenage years in Panama City, Fla. He was attracted by the reality of the music.

“It’s the human condition, dealing with real-life situations--not wish upon a star or make believe,” Harman said. “I never got into rock music.”

Juke joints and nightclubs provided an informal education for the young man where he could hear music legends up close--such as Otis Redding, B.B. King and harmonica great Big Walter Horton.

By the age of 16, in 1962, Harman was fronting bands and playing clubs in the Southeast. He recorded singles during the 1960s for several small labels in the South. Harman moved to California in the early 1970s and released his first album, “This Band Won’t Behave,” in 1981. It was followed by several others. He signed with blues label Black Top Records in 1991 to release “Do Not Disturb,” and it was followed by albums in 1993, 1994 and 1995. His acclaimed “Extra Napkins” was re-released in ‘96, and this spring, a new CD, “Taking Chances,” will be available.

“It’s about all the gambles in life,” Harman said. “There’s a certain chance of failure in everything you do, whether it’s meeting a girl or mixing a drink.”

BE THERE

The James Harman Band plays Friday night at Smokin’ Johnnie’s, 11720 Ventura Blvd., Studio City. No cover. (818) 760-6631.