Biography
Johnny Nitro and the Doorslammers is San Francisco's leading blues rock band. Led by Johnny Nitro, the group performs regularly at popular clubs around the city.
Mr. Nitro, whose real name was John Newton, grew up in Sacramento. When he was 13, he saved his lunch money and bought his first guitar from a pawn shop, teaching himself to play by listening to friends' B.B. King records. A scholarship to the San Francisco Art Institute brought him to North Beach in the 1970s, and, since then, he rarely left. He lived for a while in a 1947 panel truck and worked as a car mechanic to make ends meet. For a short time, he worked at Sears Point and other raceways.
"I was the guy who mixed the fuel, so I was Nitro Man," he told The Chronicle in 2006, explaining the origins of his stage name. Mr. Nitro performed with stars such as Albert Collins and Albert King, and released several albums. Collins covered one of Mr. Nitro's original songs, "Dirty Dishes." Like most blues artists, Mr. Nitro loved to tell a good story. Onstage at the Saloon, he'd chat with the audience, flirt with women, tell jokes and keep the crowd - which typically included local regulars and tourists from around the world - dancing all night.
"His presence onstage was irresistible," Morioka said. "He could just stand there holding his guitar but had so much charisma." Among Mr. Nitro's favorite quips, said Tejcka, was this: "Keep drinking triples till you're seeing double, feeling single and getting in trouble."
Mr. Nitro himself quit drinking and smoking several years ago, his friends said. "He was really proud of that. He knew what it was like to have a second chance," Tejcka said. "He just referred to those years as 'back when I was really sick.' "
Mr. Nitro's last gig was Friday at the Saloon. He usually ended gigs with "Great Balls of Fire," but that night he veered from his routine, Tejcka said. "Some guy in the audience called out for 'Johnny B. Goode,' " she said. "You know, 'Go, Johnny, go …' He laughed, 'Well, you'd think I oughta know that one.' " Mr. Nitro is survived by his wife, saxophonist Silvia Cicardini of Antioch, and a daughter, Kirsten Newton of San Francisco.
Blues Ring: Johnny Nitro and the Doorslammers
DMW Music: Johnny Nitro and The Door Slammers - Drinkin' Triples Till You're Seeing Double
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