Remembering the Great Bluesman Cool John Ferguson

(headline image: “Cool John” Ferguson – Photo by Tim Duffy)

Blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter John W. “Cool John” Ferguson died in his hometown on August 12, 2025. He was 71.

Born December 3, 1953, in Beaufort, South Carolina, Ferguson grew up in a family with roots in church life and Gullah heritage. He picked up the guitar at three, playing left-handed on a right-handed instrument flipped upside down. By five, he was performing gospel professionally with siblings as “Little John and the Ferguson Sisters” on a Charleston broadcast. Studies at Beaufort High added trumpet and music reading, broadening his foundation.

Early gigs with the Earl Davis Trio led to five years with Stephen Best and the Soul Crusaders across South Carolina. Radio from Jacksonville’s WAPE widened his ear to soul and pop, while tent revivals and club dates kept him working. Session work and road shows followed.

A move near Durham, North Carolina, brought the nickname that stuck. Locals told him he had a “cool” walk and talk; “Cool John” became his stage name. He balanced studio backing, appearing with artists such as Little Pink Anderson and Frank Edwards, with a steady Saturday slot at All People’s Grill, even as festival invitations grew. Appearances included Lincoln Center Out of Doors, the Savannah Music Festival, the Lucerne Blues Festival, Blues to Bop in Switzerland, and Australia’s Byron Bay Bluesfest.

The Penn Center connection on St. Helena Island led him to the Music Maker Relief Foundation, where he served as Director of Creative Development beginning in the 1990s. He helped record scores of albums by under-recognized blues, folk, and country artists while advancing his own work. Releases with Music Maker in the early 2000s included Guitar Heaven, Cool Yule, and Cool John Ferguson. He relocated to Atlanta in 2007, launched Cool John Recordings, and issued With These Hands, a set of originals spanning blues, R&B, funk, rock, and Latin influences.

Recognition arrived from peers and press alike. Living Blues twice named him “Most Outstanding Guitarist.” He appeared in the documentary Toot Blues (2008), played a Washington, D.C., fundraiser with Ironing Board Sam, and featured in a Garden & Gun photo essay on Music Maker artists. Community ties remained constant; he performed an electric “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Beaufort’s waterfront in 2011 and played in two Atlanta churches each Sunday.

A flat-brimmed hat became part of his silhouette, as did the upside-down Fender Stratocaster that never left his hands. Studio credits multiplied after he joined the Music Maker family in 1998, contributing to projects by Essie Mae Brooks, Carl Rutherford, and Captain Luke alongside his solo catalog.

Later years brought a return to music ministry and a step back from touring. His life’s work, bridging church and juke joint, tradition, and improvisation, endures in the recordings he made and the artists he lifted.

“Cool John was an amazing friend to Music Maker Foundation,” said Tim Duffy, Executive Director and co-founder. “He helped us make dozens of records and toured with us throughout Australia, Europe, and the United States.

“Music lovers recognized him as one of the world’s greatest living guitarists. When I was talking to Taj Mahal recently, he mentioned that Cool John was one of the most brilliant musicians he’d ever heard.”