“I wanted to prove that to myself, so I simply went ahead and did it, regardless of what anyone else might think. I also loved how straight forward the whole process was. You don't have to explain anything to anyone else, and if I made a mistake, I had only myself to blame. I thought it was a wonderful experience.”

Johnny Laporte: The Blues of Silence 

Johnny Laporte (born John Rijken) is one of the most iconic figures in the Dutch blues scene, having carved out a distinguished career as a guitarist, songwriter, and producer. Born in 1952 in Medan, Indonesia, he moved to the Netherlands with his family in 1958. His Indonesian roots—the so-called "Indo-blues" element—deeply shaped his artistic identity, which he shared musically with his brother, Guus LaPorte, creating one of Europe's most cohesive guitar duos. His professional breakthrough came when he joined the historic Oscar Benton Blues Band. His collaboration with the legendary singer Oscar Benton—world-renowned for the hit "Bensonhurst Blues"—defined the band's electric, soulful sound. Decades later, Laporte played a pivotal role in reviving Benton's career when the singer was facing severe health issues. Serving as the main songwriter and producer, he guided Benton back into the studio for his final two deeply personal albums, "I Am Back" (2018) and "Mirrors Don't Lie"(2019). In parallel, 1974 marked a milestone for Laporte when he co-founded the band Barrelhouse alongside his brother and the distinctive vocalist Tineke Schoemaker.

(Johnny Laporte, one of the most iconic figures in the Dutch blues scene / Photo by Armando Jansen)

With Barrelhouse, he released dozens of albums, performed at major international festivals like the North Sea Jazz Festival, and won two prestigious Edison Awards. In 2012, the band was honored with an induction into the Dutch Blues Hall of Fame. In his more mature creative years, Laporte isolated himself in his personal studio, leading to an impressive double artistic debut in 2023. He released his first solo album titled "That's Me", which features cinematic blues and ethnic rhythms, and simultaneously published his debut novel, "Zwijgen, zweeg, gezwegen". The book explores his family's history in Indonesia, with the album's music closely intertwined with its narrative.

Interview by Michael Limnios                      Archive: Barrelhouse, 2019 interview

You were born in Medan, Sumatra, and moved to the Netherlands in 1958. How did your roots and this change of environment shape your artistic identity and your relationship with music?

The era, the place and the timing have had an enormousinfluence on my musical development. If I had been born just a little earlier, I would probably have played Indo-Rock, and if we had stayed in Indonesia, I probably would never have become a musician.

The band completed a massive half-century journey before your farewell tour. What do you consider to be the "secret" that kept you united and creative with essentially the same line-up for so many decades?

We were hard-working people who all had full-time jobs alongside our lives as musicians. I worked for an insurancecompany for forty years, while also raising four children fromtwo marriages. In addition to family life, performing and working, I contributed to fifteen albums. The fact that we never had any hits actually helped us to keep going. Bands that have hit records don't tend to last very long... with a few exceptions, of course, like The Stones. It's quite a demandinglife, but once you're on stage, with the sound of your guitarand the band surrounding you, all the pain disappears... So the secret is: no hits! Hahaha!

In 1978, you embarked on a historic tour collaborating with blues legend Albert Collins. What did you learn by his side, and how did this encounter influence your playing style?

No, Albert did not influence my way of playing. By the time we toured with Albert, I had more or less already developed my own style, which was very British and Clapton-inspired. Albert enjoyed trading licks with me because our styles werecompletely different. There are guitarists who claim they canplay like Albert... no way! There will only ever be one Albert Collins!

“I think (Eric) Clapton has followed that same path and is still developing as a musician today. That's what I want to do as well. These days, I write most of my new songs on the piano. There's still an endless amount to discover there. I mainly improvise using jazz patterns and sometimes find myself in musical territory that is completely new to me. It's a wonderful experience. Who knows, perhaps one day I'll let other people hear it...” (Photos: Johnny Laporte with Oscar Benton and Barrelhouse)

You were a member of the Oscar Benton Blues Band, and you have mentioned that Benton was your "musical father" who even gave you your stage name. What did collaborating with him mean to you, especially on hits like Bensonhurst Blues?

Without Oscar Benton, there would be no Johnny Laporte. That means a lot! Barrelhouse was actually his band, as he always used to say. We learned a lot from Oscar, especiallyhow NOT to do things! When Bensonhurst Blues became a hit, Oscar was a solo artist, while we were playing with Barrelhouse. It was only during the final years we spent with Oscar that we realised just how big a name he was in countries such as France, Turkey, Romania, the Czech Republic and Russia.

You shared the stage and the guitar duties of Barrelhouse with your brother, Guus LaPorte. What is it like to build an entire career and share the same line-up with your brother? How would you describe band’s musical chemistry and your on-stage collaboration over all these years?

Guus never taught me anything on the guitar. Fortunately, I went my own way, which meant we developed completelydifferent styles. He was Buddy Guy, while I sounded more like Clapton. If we had played in the same style, it wouldprobably have ended in arguments, haha! Guus is a very different person from me. He's a showman, an extrovert, whereas I play in a more focused way and am quite introverted (Mick Taylor).

In 2023, you released your first personal album. Why did you choose that specific moment in time to express yourself as a solo artist, and what did you want to show the audience that was different?

After Oscar passed away, I went through a very dark period and realised that I didn't really enjoy making an album with several other musicians. I felt I could play everything, or at least most of it, myself. I wanted to prove that to myself, so I simply went ahead and did it, regardless of what anyone else might think. I also loved how straight forward the whole process was. You don't have to explain anything to anyone else, and if I made a mistake, I had only myself to blame. I thought it was a wonderful experience.

“No, Albert did not influence my way of playing. By the time we toured with Albert, I had more or less already developed my own style, which was very British and Clapton-inspired. Albert enjoyed trading licks with me because our styles werecompletely different. There are guitarists who claim they canplay like Albert... no way! There will only ever be one Albert Collins!” (Photos: Johnny Laporte with his novel | Johnny Laporte on stage)

Alongside your solo album, you also presented your first novel (Zwijgen, zweeg, gezwegen). How did the need to express yourself through the written word come about, and to what extent does the book contain autobiographical elements?

Especially during the final period with Oscar Benton, I wrote quite a lot of lyrics. All day long, you're thinking about little phrases, stories or subjects that could become songs. When you're seventy, you've accumulated so much life experience that once you start writing, everything just seems to flow naturally. That's exactly what happened to me. I started writing at the beginning of the COVID pandemic, and after two months the story was finished. People who know me well recognise many of my own characteristics in the book's characters. Which makes sense, of course, because I wrote it and drew on what I know.

We notice that the blues is constantly evolving auditorily and blending with new genres, without ever losing its traditional identity. What drives this balance, and what do you think the next step in its evolution will be?

I think (Eric) Clapton has followed that same path and is still developing as a musician today. That's what I want to do as well. These days, I write most of my new songs on the piano. There's still an endless amount to discover there. I mainly improvise using jazz patterns and sometimes find myself in musical territory that is completely new to me. It's a wonderful experience. Who knows, perhaps one day I'll let other people hear it...

Following the official end of Barrelhouse, you are dynamically continuing with your new project, Johnny FeelGood, and the album Age is nothing but a number. What can we expect from you in the future, and what does the title of this album mean to you personally?

No, coming home at half past three in the morning every weekend is a thing of the past, ever since Barrelhouse came to-an end. Unfortunately, Johnny Feel Good has also ceased to exist, but I still have a few other bands that I occasionally play with. I'll simply keep composing, performing and writing, because age doesn't matter.

Johnny Laporte - Home

(Johnny Laporte, one of the most iconic figures in the Dutch blues scene / Photo by Armando Jansen)