When, in the late seventies, Al Green, Aretha Franklin, and ZZ Hill brought their shows to Norfolk, VA, the city where she lived, Shirley would open for them. Born in Franklin, VA, she recorded a few singles for local labels in the eighties, and once she settled in Chicago, she became a regular on the local scene, a resident performer at Blue Chicago, and a partner of Professor Eddie Lusk. Shirley Johnson is a true gem of the Chicago blues scene, a lady of the Delmark Records family and the owner of a voice that embodies contemporary soul and gospel in the Windy City. While Koko Taylor and her successor Shemekia Copeland wear the crown, Shirley holds the recognition as a genuine, kind-hearted woman with the sound of the South in her soul. "Selfish Kind of Gal", her fourth album and third with Delmark, undoubtedly rises above any other recent release by a female voice in the genre.