Johnny Mullenax is the kind of guitar player and songwriter that simply cannot be contained in any one genre of music — country, rock, bluegrass, blues, jazz, or otherwise. There's just too much talent radiating off of him and too much curiosity built into his makeup. Virtually born with a guitar in his hand and Tulsa-red dirt under his fingernails, he was raised on fireside singalongs, parking lot jams, and sneaking into clubs underaged, and his brand-new EP, " This Joint's for You Too," shows off the depth and breadth of his musical upbringing, with searing electric guitar solos, extremely technical flatpicking, and more energy than your local nuclear reactor.

From the sped-up swamp vamp of "Long-Haired Country Boy" to the sentimental front-porch ballad of "This Joint's for You," Mullenax demonstrates in just six songs his knack for arranging and surrounding himself with talent. "Couple Extra Hours" is blue-collar workingman's rumination at its finest and if you don't watch out, you might hear the Coltrane-like prog-improv in the solos that fill "Home Sweet Home." If you can't hear the potential for these tunes to stretch out and breathe in a live setting, you better find a way to get in front of this band in a hurry, because that's where Johnny comes into his full powers, as a bandleader who knows when to let the band rock out and when to step to the front and blow everyone's hair back.

As Mullenax works on his full-length debut for 2027, the summer of 2026 will see him criss-cross the country for more than 50 dates — and cross the pond for tours of Spain and France while he's at it. There will be any number of folks a few years from now telling people that they saw Johnny Mullenax way back when.

Johnny started a Sunday Bluegrass Brunch residency at Tulsa’s famed Mercury Lounge in January 2021, and it has become a beacon for musicians and fans alike. It’s an amalgam of bluegrass standards, jam band vibes, and a showcase of musicianship from Mullenax’s regular sidemen: flatpicking champion, Thomas Trapp; Jason Boland & The Stragglers drummer, Jake Lynn; and hired gun on upright bass, Paul Wilkes. He’s regularly joined by former and current members of Jason Boland & The Stragglers, Roger Ray on dobro and Andrew Bair on keys. A host of fiddle, pedal steel, clarinet, washboard and even spoons players sit in weekly, and during the second set he brings up musician friends in the audience to step in or sing a tune of their own . Fans flock to “Team Drink”—a toast Johnny repeats during the show with the reminder, “We’re all on the same team.”  Another highlight of Brunch is when Johnny and Thomas go “hole to hole,” an improvised guitar face-off that’s more collaborative than competitive. And that’s really what Johnny’s music is all about.  

“My whole musical career, I have wanted to study music. Everyone I play with has also studied a lot of music. That’s the draw for everyone who plays in the band--we’re bringing the heat every single time.” said Mullenax. 

Just know this. If you come to a show, everyone who wants to get down is welcome and included. And you better be ready to party.