Guitar Slim Jr. is a dynamic guitarist and elder statesman of the local blues scene. A New Orleans native, Slim, aka Rodney Armstrong, was literally born into the blues: his dad was Eddie “Guitar Slim” Jones, perhaps best known for the enduring hit, “The Things I Used to Do.”  According to legend, Guitar Slim Jr. received his first guitar as a gift from Huey “Piano” Smith, and the great Earl King gave him his nickname. With that kind of backing, the young guitarist went to work, and established himself over the years as a solid player and club favorite. Along the way he befriended much larger stars, including Stevie Ray Vaughn (with whom he toured in the 1980s), Prince, Johnny Winter, and Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown. He covers many of his father’s classic tunes as well as a healthy mix of blues standards, such as Tyrone Davis’s “Turn Back the Hands of Time.” Although a prolific performer, Slim has only released three studio albums. His debut recording, The Story of My Life, was released in 1988 and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Album. He has only gone into the studio twice since then, with the 1996 Nothing Nice (featuring the Memphis Horns) and the 2010 Brought Up the Hard Way. In 2025, he released Live at the 2025 Jazz & Heritage Festival, which captures the excitement of a Guitar Slim, Jr. performance.