Shun Kikuta

Shun Kikuta Was Born September 8 1966. After Graduating From High School In Japan He Went To Berklee College Of Music. He First Studied Jazz But In His Second Year He Heard B.B. King’s”Live At The Regal” Which Opened His Eyes To The Blues. He Moved To Chicago In 1990 After Graduating From Berklee. He Polished His Skills There On The Street And In Jam Sessions. Only Two Months After His Arrival He Got A Regular Gig With The Louis Myers Band. Shun Says He Learned A Lot—getting Growled Instructions From Louis Right On Stage In Front Of The Audience! After Louis Retired Shun Played With Big Time Sarah And With Tommy McCracken. Later He Played With The Frank Collier Band. In 1994 Shun Recorded Funky Blues For Japan’s King Records. The Late Junior Wells Played On The Album. That Led To Shun Playing Regularly With Wells Touring With His Band In America And Canada. During This Period Shun Played On Tribute To Magic Sam Evidence 26086-2 . Many Readers Will Already Know Shun’s Playing From This Recording. Shun Is Now An Essential Part Of J.W. Williams And The Chi-Town Hustlers. He Is Highly Respected Among Blues Greats In Chicago And In High Demand For Gigs. So Far He Has Released Two Collections In Japan Playing As The Lead Performer And A Live CD Recorded In Japan With J.W. Williams And The Band. Two Of These Are Scheduled For Release In The U.S. And Canada In August. Look For Me And My Guitar Bluesox Production BS-001 And Live And Kickin’ Bluesox Production BS-002 . The First Of These Recorded In 1995 Includes J.W. On Vocals And Bass With Guest Appearances By Junior Wells And Otis Rush. The Second Is The Japanese Live Recording With In Addition To Shun Fumio Ishikawa On Harp And Makoto Ayukawa On Guitar. Both Offer Great Opportunities To Hear Shun’s Tight Blues Style And J.W.’s Soulful Vocals And Bass—and Of Course The Guest Appearances. Shun Has Come A Long Way From His Early Days In Japan To Become An Integral Part Of The Chicago Blues Scene. I Hope Readers Will Take The Time To Get Acquainted With Shun’s Work If They Don’t Already Know It. read less