The blues first called me when I was 15, listening to Eric Clapton's "Unplugged" in my Mount Hermon, MA, dorm room. The album urged me to obtain other monumental blues records by Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf & B.B. King. I first picked up the harmonica when I first heard William Tang's "Movin' On" in 1998, but gave up only after a few days.

In October 2001, the blues called me again by way of a homeless guy called Tim. After a few months of closet practicing, I decided to hit the open mic at New Vegas Lounge in downtown DC. However, the constant discouragement of the owners and guitarist Bobby Hall made me give up again. Fortunately, the drummer of the jam session, Lee Hailey, heard something special in my playing ("You know what you're doing, son.") and introduced me to the legendary Jesse James Johnson , Bo Diddley's long-time bass player from 1960 to 1964 (With sad news, Jesse passed away on March 25, 2007).

From January 2002 to March 2003, I went from sitting in with Jesse James & The Raiders to becoming a regular member of the band at the once (and again) defunct Cafe Toulouse in Adams Morgan, DC. The band featured Jesse on vocals & guitar, Dru Lore on rhythm guitar, Turner on bass, and Lee Hailey on drums. In October 2002, the Raiders had a welcoming addition: Jeff Conlin joined us on keyboards and added a funky sound to the already soulful group. During this golden age, Jesse often introduced me as "his main man" and said, "Brother Henry is one of the finest harmonica players I've ever heard."

Before joining the Raiders, I went back to Hong Kong briefly during Christmas 2001. During this trip, I met Hong Kong's foremost blues guitarist, Tommy Chung, who owned the now closed 48th Street Chicago Blues, the only blues bar in Hong Kong. Tommy encouraged me to join his band Tommy & The All Blues for three consecutive weekends and my playing got exponentially better during that short period. Tommy also bravely predicted, "In one to two years' time, Henry will become one of the great harp players in the world." Since then, whenever I vacationed in Hong Kong, I played with Tommy & The All Blues at 48th Street Chicago Blues on Saturday nights (until it closed in 2005).

In October 2001, I also met one of my major mentors, Bill Heid, pianist/organist extraordinaire who recorded with Koko Taylor & Fenton Robinson in the 70's on Alligator label, at Fino (aka Taliban), a restaurant in Georgetown DC. After sitting in on "Stormy Monday," Bill decided to take me under his wings. Bill later coined my nickname "Sonny Boy" Chung after the late great Sonny Boy Williamson. Since then, I became a featured guest performer with the Bill Heid Trio (with Gavin Fallow on bass, Jim West on drums) at Fino until the joint closed in July 2004.

In April 2002, I met my blues partner-in-crime Clarence "The Bluesman" Turner at Cafe Toulouse literally the day before it closed. Clarence kindly asked me to join his band and it was the beginning of a long-lasting friendship and musical collaboration. From April 2003 to March 2004, I consistently appeared with Clarence Turner Blues Band at Ledbetter & Co. every Saturday night. In 2003-2004, the Clarence Turner Blues Band performed at the African-American Heritage Festival, Twins Jazz, Bangkok Blues, and Benefit for Moses Munene. Notably, on Aug 30, 2003, the band appeared appears at the 15th Annual DC Blues Festival at Carter Barron Amphitheatre. The band's fantastic performance marked one of our biggest shows to date and earned two standing ovations from the audience (one after my soaring solo on "Cold, Cold Feeling").

From March 2002 to April 2003, I grew quickly as a musician by playing with some of best local blues players in the DC area (See "On the stage with" chart below). In March 2003, I joined the Archie Edwards Blues Foundation to appear at Kennedy Center's Millenium Stage. From December 2003 to June 2004, I was also the Music Director and a performer at Cafe Europa in Bethesda, MD with my group Sonny Boy Chung All-Stars. In January 2004, I made my first mainland China tour at the famous Cotton Club in Shanghai, joining the house band featuring Greg Smith on guitar and Terence on vocals.

On April 14, 2004, my rock-star moment finally arrived after sitting in with my blues idol Tab Benoit at Saveur. After the show, Tab said, "Henry, you played perfect." This show was a dream come true for me and showed that dreams can become reality. On May 14, 2004, and again on May 13, 2005, I partook in the Elise Martin Crosby Fundraiser, providing scholarship victims of domestic violence in DC area, appearing with local artists Mary Shaver, Dave Sherman, and Howie Feinstein. On July 24, 2004, I joined the Liz Briones Band at the Frederick Blues Festival.

In July 2004, I was inducted in Harmonica Link's Hall of Fame alongside my idols like James Cotton, Paul Butterfield, Junior Wells, Rod Piazza, Steve Guyger, etc. On August 13, 2004, I was mentioned in the Washington Post weekend section as "[One] of Washington's top jazz and blues musicians." On Sept. 4, I appeared with Clarence Turner Blues Band at the 16th annual DC Blues Festival at Carter Barron Amphitheatre, two years in a row.

On October 18, 2004, I played the proudest show of my life at Blues Alley with the Clarence Turner Quintet to a sold-out audience. I enlisted some of the East coast's finest musicians: pianist Bill Heid, bassist Eric Harper, and WC Handy Award nominated drummer Big Joe Maher to back Clarence in two powerhouse sets of nitty-gritty blues. Wayne Kahn of Right on Rhythm Records called it "a great area's musician all-star lineup." Clarence truly stunned the audience with a laid-back vibe yet a charismatic performance. I consider this "the best gig of my life." The show ended in an enthusiastic non-stop applause from the audience. Louise Pierce of the Washington Post gave rave reviews for this show, stating, "The interplay between Turner's guitar and Henry Chung's harmonica must have really moved the crowd. Chung's playing takes flight on the choruses and his soulful stylings on the harmonica push the other soloists to keep up. Then Turner's wailing guitar takes over while the rhythm section channels some classic Clapton blues."

In December 2004, my and Clarence Turner's profiles appeared on Washington Post's mp3 site. While Clarence made the Editor's pick as "this band knows the blues," my songs were posted on the "Top Downloads" list in just a few weeks.

In December 2004, I embarked on my first West coast tour and reunited with one of my musical partners-in-crime, Ed Mattiuzzi (aka lowlight). I performed with Ed and a congas player as a trio at Bourgeois Pig, one of Hollywood's landmark cafes. Incidentally, John Chelew, producer of Blind Boys of Alabama and Charlie Musselwhite, was in the audience. After the performance, Chelew said, "What beautiful playing! Somebody needs to sign this cat on a major label."

In 2005, I performed many high profile gigs with some of the best blues musicians in the USA at the legendary Bohemian Caverns, New Haven Lounge in Baltimore, Whitlow's on Wilson in Arlington, an anti-war rally on the 4th of July on the National Mall, the 2nd annual Greenbelt Blues Festival, the Old Post Office Pavillion, and a wedding reception featuring Clarence Turner, Bill Heid, Whop Frazier, and Big Joe Maher.

In October 2005, I played a sold-out community concert at the Kittamaquandi Community Church as part of its popular 2nd Saturday Concert Series with the Clarence Turner Blues Band. The band's fantastic performance earned one encore and two standing ovations from a friendly audience. In December 2005, I was a featured performer at the Downtown Holiday Market sponsored by Downtown DC playing Christmas blues to hundreds of vendors and shoppers.

On December 30, 2005, WC Handy Award winner and ex-Muddy Waters band member, Steady Rollin' Bob Margolin, kindly invited me to play an entire set alongside WC Handy Award winning bassist Mookie Brill, drummer Mark Stutso from Jimmy Thackery and the Drivers, and Mr. Margolin himself, at Sweet Caroline's in Winchester, VA. I felt that the very encouraging Mr. Margolin passed immense blues knowledge and wisdom to me on that memorable night. Bob said to me, "We saved all the deep stuff for you."

A day later, on New Year's Eve 2005, Deanna Bogart unexpectedly pulled me up from the audience to play, finishing her band's high-energy first set at Rams Head On Stage, Annapolis MD, a venue that I always dreamed of playing at.

In January 2006, I appeared with Clarence Turner and guests Deanna Bogart and Big Joe Maher at the annual Capital Blues Cabin Fever Weekend. On April 8, 2006, I appeared with Clarence again with an all-star band (Bill Heid, Gene Meros, Spencer Leckliter, Andy Hamburger) at the annual DC Lindy Exchange and played a powerful show that I'll never forget. Then, the following week, on April 15, we played another smashingly successful performance at Shilla Bakery & Cafe to our loyal swing dancers and marked the Cafe's biggest show of this type. These performances were hits amongst the ever-supporting "solid gold dancers" who are regulars at our weekly gigs. Besides swing dances, I also played some mind-blowing gigs at the legendary Twins Lounge, Old Town Theatre, Bohemian Caverns, and Andy's in Chestertown, MD in early 2006.

On April 17, 2006, my dream finally came true. I had the honor to meet and greet the legendary B.B. King, an all-time blues hero who influenced me to play the blues from Day One. After a dynamite 2 hour and 15 min set (an 80-year-old B.B. played some of the best music I have ever heard from him) at the B.B. King's Blues Club in New York City, I was invited backstage and got to hang out with the legend in his dressing room. After I told B.B., "You changed my life," B.B. replied, "Thank you. I wouldn't have made it without your support." B.B. was nice and sincere as a blues man could be, just like he sang, "I'm a blues man, but I'm a good man." Having met B.B. strengthened my passion to play the blues, as B.B. was very encouraging. Better yet, the same night, I received a letter from Bruce Iglauer of Alligator Records. In the letter, he wrote "I'm hearing some solid blues here" upon listening to a demo I sent him.

In the Spring of 2006, I formed the Mid-Atlantic Blues Allstars with Linwood Taylor on guitar, the "King of Honky Tonk Saxophone" Joe Stanley on sax, Bill Heid on piano, Steve Novosel (legendary bass player for Shirley Horn and David "Fathead" Newman) on bass, and Big Joe Maher on drums. The newly formed band played at a corporate function for the American Association of Broadcasters in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Trapeze Restaurant, and the Glen Echo Park Spanish Ballroom.

In addition, I played many memorable shows in the Summer of 2006, including a Blues Dance event at the Glen Echo Bumper Car Pavilion, a receptive standing crowd of over 300 at Lexington Market, Baltimore, and a rejuvenating show at the 3rd Annual Greenbelt Blues Festival. The Greenbelt show brought my groove back when I found out once again the meaning of the blues. I then went on to play the BEST show of my life at the legendary Zoo Bar in Washington DC on June 30, 2006.

On August 4, I played my official farewell show at Bohemian Caverns, marking my last club appearence in metropolitan DC. Hundreds of people showed up to bid me farewell. On August 11, I played in the band backing two of DC's premiere bluesmen Linwood Taylor and Clarence Turner in a crowd-pleasing performance at Chick Hall's Surf Club, as part of a DC Blues Society fundraising event. One night later, on August 12, I was in the audience of Joe Louis Walker's show at Chick Hall's. After my friend Linwood Taylor introduced me to Joe, Joe pulled me up the stage unannounced. Thanks to Linwood, I was pleasantly surprised to have jammed with the talented multiple WC Handy Award winner (Comtemporary Blues Artist and Blues Band of the Year), and the crowd loved it.

I decided to pursue my continuing legal studies in Hong Kong starting in September 2006. Before I left, I played a few high-profile shows with some high-profile musicians. On August 18, I played an unforgettable show with the legendary Bob Margolin, WC Handy winning bassist Mookie Brill, Big Joe Maher, and Bill Heid. Despite the atrocious heat and incompetent soundman, we finished the show with a bang. After the performance, Bob wrote me, "you love the blues so much, play it well, and are a good person...your soul, strength, and intelligence are inspiring. It's my pleasure to be your friend."

On August 20, I was a part of the Jammin' The Blues All Star Band at the Glen Echo Spanish Ballroom, playing swing and blues music to hundreds of dancers. The band consisted of some of the finest musicians in the mid-Atlantic region: Deanna Bogart, Craig Gildner of Blue Sky Five, Paul Cosentino and Ernest McCarty of Boilermaker Jazz Band from PA, Linwood Taylor, and Big Joe Maher. The climax of the show came when Deanna and Craig did a four-hand exchange of a boogie-woogie and wowed the crowd. The show ended with a surprise farewell encore when the crowd requested that I played one last song. It was a fabulous night at Glen Echo.

On November 11, I was invited by San Francisco's own boogie-woogie piano wizard Mitch Woods to sit in with him and his Rocket 88's at Grappa's in Hong Kong. I enjoyed Mitch's showy piano playing and his cheerful vocals very much. We together rocked the stage and wowed the crowd. Incidentally, Mitch was nominated "Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year" at the Blues Awards just a month after I played with him. It's a rare opportunity to play with such fine players in my hometown.

On January 26, 2007, I played my first full blues gig in Hong Kong with The HK Blues Allstars at Innonation to a sold-out audience. I felt great warmth and love from my family and friends who came to show their support. On March 10, 2007, I played another sold-out performance to a beloved audience with a truly professional band featuring the stone-sexy vocals of Canadian Jazz Diva Genevieve Marentette whose voice melts many hearts. The international sextet also features American guitarist Dan LeVelle, Filipino pianist Alex Quirino, French Canadian bassist Sylvain Gagnon, and Sri Lankan drummer DC. This performance put me back on my top form and I was walking on air being in the presence of this dreamlike band.

On July 7, 2007, Henry Chung & The HK Blues Allstars were invited to play the monthly HK Live! concert at The Fringe Club. This Blue Special drew a full house and the band's electrifying performance earned many new blues fans as well. In August 2007, after a few sold-out shows under my belt, I was privileged to be inducted to "Who's Who in HK Music Industry." On November 17, 2007, I was also privileged to be appearing on stage with my guitar hero Eugene Pao in a program called "Chung Meets Pao" at Grappa's Cellar, backed up a superband handpicked by myself - Vincent Lam on guitar & vocals, Ram Cheung on guitar & vocals, Jason Cheng on keyboards, Tsang Tak Hong on bass, and Melchior Sarreal on drums. This was my best and most satisfying blues gig in HK, and a memorable night to go down on my resume.

On May 16 & 17, 2008, I reached another height of my musical career. I was honoured and delighted to be invited by the legendary HK singer-songwriter Lowell Lo to play in his comeback concert (after his 18-year absence in the scene) entitled "Lowell Lo 2050 Concert" at the HK Coliseum. Lowell is one of most respected artists of all-time and I grew up listening to his music. So having asked by him personally to play with him was a surprise in itself. And to play next on stage with him in HK's most prestigious venue - what a miracle! We played "Skybird" (Lo's claim to fame song) and "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" which vowed the audience with our audacious new arrangement. To top that off, we were backed by HK's top musicians including bandleader and keyboardist Roel Garcia, Joey Tang, So Tak Wah & Joey Villanueva on guitars, Rudi Balbuena on bass, Stephane Wong on drums, etc. I was on the top of the world.

Thank you for checking me out and getting to know me, but you can get much closer to who I am by attending my live shows. Please don't forget me after I return to Hong Kong. In fact I promise to be back in the States to play some mean, nasty, and lowdown blues. The best is yet to come. (See Henry's live schedule here.)

Updated 6/12/2008

Festivals:
DC Blues Festival, Washington DC
Frederick Blues Festival, Frederick MD
Greenbelt Blues Festival, Greenbelt MD
Baltimore Blues Society Battle of the Bands, Baltimore MD
African American Heritage Festival, Alexandria VA
Chestertown Music Festival, Chestertown MD
Laurel Main Street Festival, Laurel MD
2nd Saturday Concert Series, Columbia, MD
Supper Under The Stars Concert Series, Alexandria VA
Bethesda Summer Concert Series, Bethesda MD
Braddock Night Concert Series, Fairfax VA
Capital Blues Cabin Fever Weekend, College Park MD
DC Lindy Exchange, Silver Spring MD
Jammin' The Blues Dance Weekend, VA and MD
Downtown Holiday Market, Washington DC
Benefit for Moses Munene, Washington DC
Elise Martin Crosby Fundraiser, Washington DC
Northfield Mount Hermon School Reunion, Northfield MA

Venues:
Kennedy Center Millenium Stage
Carter Barron Amphitheatre
Blues Alley
Bohemian Caverns
Rams Head On Stage
Whitlow's on Wilson, Arlington
Jammin' Java, Vienna
Twins Lounge

Opened for:
Pinetop Perkins
James Cotton
The Nighthawks
Eddie Shaw & The Wolf Gang
Larry Garner
James Solberg
Cephas & Wiggins

On the same stage with:
Tab Benoit
Deanna Bogart
Michael Bowie
Pam Bricker
Mookie Brill
Bob Butta
Billy Hancock
Bill Heid
Big Joe Maher
Bob Margolin
Steve Novosel
Eugene Pao
Mary Ann Redmond
Jeff Sarli
Joe Stanley
Chuck Underwood
Joe Louis Walker
Butch Warren
Mitch Woods
Jesse Yawn