Johnny R., busking in style

Last night I had an obligation that took me to a nightclub on Tejon Street. Usually I avoid this particular section of Tejon on weekend nights, because it's crazy with club-goers. As the night wears on, the people generally get more and more obnoxious (read: drunk), and there are hordes of them on the streets! I'm not much of a nightclub person these days, so I just avoid the whole scene. But last night was a special occasion so I braved the nightclub crowds. I had my camera with me because I didn't have anything for today's post and was hoping to find something good to take a picture of. Lo and behold, a miracle parking spot appeared for me right in front of this guy. (This always happens! Just when I think I'm going to have to blog a picture of my big toe for lack of anything better, some cool thing will magically happen right in front of me! And I should mention that getting a parking spot on Tejon on a Friday night like that is practically an act of God.) Of course I whipped out my camera and shot off a few frames. He sounded great! He was singing "I've Got You Under My Skin" as I took these pictures. We chatted for a few minutes. He told me his name was Johnny Rada and he's been performing in this spot on weekend nights for several years. He gave me his card, and even better, he gave me a copy of his CD! That was so nice of him!

You can check out (and "like") Johnny's Facebook page HERE, and his YouTube channel HERE. Take a listen, he's great! And if you're ever downtown on a weekend night, you can find Johnny on Tejon between Pikes Peak and Kiowa Streets, singing all the old standards. I love it!