Joanna Connor

A blues guitarist and singer who's often compared to Bonnie Raitt, Joanna Connor started playing guitar at a young age; by her late teens, she was working professionally. She moved to Chicago in the '80s and served a musical apprenticeship as a side player in the city's rich blues clubs. By 1989, she had her own record deal and had set about carving out a reputation for her sizzling live shows. Her rough-and-tumble voice blends well with her incendiary slide guitar work, which blends the precision of Johnny Winter with the slashing tone of J.B. Hutto.