Lonnie Johnson Blues

Johnson was one of the best of the early acoustic blues guitarists. He possessed a technical proficiency that separated him from his peers, and he was always in high demand as a session guitarist for blues and jazz recordings. Johnson was a fine vocalist as well, and his prodigious chops made him a hot recording property in the twenties.

The place and date of his birth are the subject of some debate, although many believe his birthplace to be New Orleans. It is known for sure that Johnson was raised in New Orleans and later moved to St. Louis in the twenties, where he began recording for Okeh Records. That label would release his first side, “Mr. Johnson’s Blues,” in 1925. Johnson recorded numerous sides for the label, including “Very Lonesome Blues,” “Lonesome Jail Blues,” Five O’Clock Blues,” “Backwater Blues,” and many others.

Johnson lent his nimble guitar skills to Louis Armstrong’s Hot Five recordings in 1927. The next year, Johnson and the white jazz guitarist, Eddie Lang, made some of the first racially integrated jazz recordings. Johnson’s career suffered during the Depression Era of the 1930s when Okeh went bankrupt, and he relocated to Canada. Johnson died in 1970 in Toronto from injuries he had suffered in a car accident.

Like most other musicians of his era, Johnson’s work is best heard on any number of compilation albums. "Blues in My Fingers" (1994) and "Complete Recorded Works" (1991) are the best compilations available for this artist.

                                         As a CD and LP affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases