John "JoJo" Hermann is an American singer, musician and songwriter, best known for his involvement in the band

Widespread Panic Widespread Panic is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Duane Trucks, percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist John "JoJo" Hermann, and guit ...

Early life

He was born in New York City and attended Collegiate School, where he was a classmate of actor

Billy Wirth William E. Wirth (born June 23, 1962) is an American actor, film producer, and artist, perhaps best known for his role as Dwayne in the 1987 film, ''The Lost Boys''. Life and career Wirth was born in New York City to a lawyer father and an art ...

.''The Dutchman'' (the Collegiate School yearbook), 1975 edition, page 33 He began performing in small clubs, while in college and moved to

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

after graduation. Hermann began songwriting and performing in 1983. JoJo Hermann & Billy Wirth, 1975

Career

Hermann began playing piano in the local band Beanland with George McConnell on guitar appearing on JoJo's Defector, Smiling Assassin, and with Widespread Panic (1992–present). After a friend of the band heard JoJo playing on an old upright

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

at the Hoka Club also in Oxford. After extensive touring of the Southeast with Beanland, he then went on to join Athens, Georgia based

in 1992 with whom he still plays keyboard and organ. JoJo is known for his lead vocals on many New Orleans style jazz and blues covers and originals along with gospel-style organ playing. He has been heavily influenced by artists such as Professor Longhair,

Otis Spann Otis Spann (March 21, 1924 or 1930April 24, 1970) was an American blues musician, whom many consider to be the leading postwar Chicago blues pianist. Early life Sources differ over Spann's early years. Some state that he was born in Jackson, Miss ...

Junior Kimbrough David "Junior" Kimbrough (July 28, 1930 – January 17, 1998) was an American blues musician. His best-known works are "Keep Your Hands off Her" and "All Night Long". Early life Kimbrough was born in Hudsonville, Mississippi, and lived in the no ...

and

Otha Turner Othar "Otha" Turner (June 2, 1907 – February 27, 2003) was one of the last well-known fife players in the vanishing American fife and drum blues tradition. His music was also part of the African-American genre known as Hill country blues. E ...

among others. In recent years JoJo has participated in several side projects, most notably JoJo and His Mojo Mardi Gras Band along with another side group consisting of Luther and Cody Dickinson of the

North Mississippi Allstars North Mississippi Allstars is an American blues and southern rock band from Hernando, Mississippi, founded in 1996. The band is currently composed of brothers Luther Dickinson (guitar, lowebow, vocals) and Cody Dickinson (drums, keyboards, ele ...

. He released his debut solo album ''

Smiling Assassin ''Smiling Assassin'' is the debut solo album by Widespread Panic keyboardist John Hermann, released in 2001. Other members of Widespread Panic as well as members of the North Mississippi All Stars and Blue Mountain also perform on the album. T ...

'' in 2001. He has since released three more solo albums, '' Defector'' (2003), ''Just Ain't Right'' (2004), and the 2012 Larry Brown Amen album as the Missing Cats. Hermann resides in Franklin, Tennessee with his wife and two daughters.

References

American rock keyboardists Widespread Panic members Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Musicians from New York City 21st-century American keyboardists Year of birth missing (living people) Collegiate School (New York) alumni {{US-keyboardist-stub