Johnnie Bolin

I grew up in the Midwest in the 50's. My Father, Richard Bolin, worked at a packing plant. My Mother, Barbara, worked at the hospital. They had busy full time jobs not related to music, so hardly the parents to raise 3 boys that made music their lives. My oldest brother, Tommy, was a guitarist, I am a Drummer, and my younger brother, Rick (Pudge), was a singer. We all started playing in bands after getting our first instruments. We performed at high schools, ballrooms, street dances, etc. Tommy left school and moved to Denver at age 16. He got in a recording band and was on American Bandstand at 18. He went on to play with concert bands -- James Gang and, one of the biggest bands of the 70's, Deep  Purple. I somewhat followed his path at the time. I continued to play around the Midwest. I got a very big break and joined his band in ‘76, playing Mile High Stadium in Denver. This changed my life. I tragically lost my brother later that year, but i continued on, moving to California, Miami, NYC, and, eventually, settled up in Minneapolis. I lived there for 12 years. At that time, I accepted a job with a touring band, Black Oak Arkansas, and traveled the States and overseas for 30 years. Playing, recording, and traveling were and are my life. I pretty much did a 360, and I am back in my hometown, Sioux City, Iowa... and  I am still beatin the “skins" after all these years.