Among the shows the bluesy Joey George will be performing soon is next month's Songs of Phil Ochs show in Lake Worth.

If you saw West Palm Beach-based singer/guitarist Joey George without his guitar or hip stage clothing, you might mistake him for a car salesman.

But close your eyes and just listen, and you’ll do a double-take upon opening them. The Philadelphia-born, New Jersey-raised artist oozes the blues because he’s paid his dues, from a failed 1976 deal on Jim Croce’s LifeSong Records label to his own failed kidneys in 2000.

After moving to South Florida in 2002, George went through five more years of waiting and dialysis before his kidney transplant. And he hasn’t slowed down since. By recording and producing independent solo CDs on his Gorgeous Music label, George cuts costs enough to average two releases per year. The latest is Pine Box Blues, a collection of originals and obscure covers.

"It’s jumping out of the box," says the tongue-in-cheek George. "It’s proof that I can actually make a living doing this full time."

With a role in next month’s The Songs of Phil Ochs concert at the Lake Worth Playhouse, George has become one of South Florida’s busiest solo performers. That’s because the man of both a thousand originals and a thousand cover songs can play all day without repeating himself.

See Joey George from 7-11 p.m. Fridays at Hurricane Wings, 11071 Southern Blvd., Royal Palm Beach, (561) 753-4868; from 4-8 p.m. Saturdays and 6-10 p.m. Tuesdays at B.B. King’s, 550 S. Rosemary Ave., West Palm Beach, (561) 420-8600; from 1-4 p.m. Sundays at Havana Hideout, 509 Lake Ave., Lake Worth, (561) 585-8444; and from 6-9 p.m. Sundays at Dolce Vita, 609 Lake Ave., Lake Worth, (561) 493-3330.

AROUND TOWN

Lake Worth band Positively Africa (positivelyafrica.com) is led by the Kenya-raised husband-and-wife team of Julius Sanna (guitar/vocals) and Julia Sanna (vocals/percussion). Their sextet holds a release party for its Introducing Positively Africa CD at 7 p.m. on Jan. 27 at Casa de Mara, 1132 N. Dixie Highway, Lake Worth ($5, 561-791-6248).

Friction Farm (frictionfarm.com), a popular Juno Beach band from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s before its leaders moved to New York City, will visit soon as a duo. Singing bassist Christine Stay and guitarist/vocalist Aidan Quinn play songs from their new Every Mile Is a Memory CD at 7 p.m. Feb. 2 at South Shores Tavern, 502 Lucerne Ave., Lake Worth (561-547-7656), and at 7 p.m. Feb. 4 at MacArthur Beach State Park, 10900 Jack Nicklaus Drive, North Palm Beach (561-624-6950).

Connecticut singer/songwriter Kath Bloom (myspace.com/kathbloomchapter) lived in South Florida when her song Come Here appeared in Richard Linklater’s 1995 film Before Sunrise. In mid-December, the tune played during the wedding ceremony of Irish vocalist Sinead O’Connor as she married Barry Herridge in the back seat of a pink Cadillac at a Las Vegas chapel.