One of the stock gags in my act usually comes right before I play Lonnie Johnson's "Troubles No More" or "In Love Again," both staples of my set. I start off by listing the "Holy Trinity of the Kings" of electric blues: B.B. King, Albert King and Freddie King. Then I explain that there is a similar "Trinity" in the acoustic blues pantheon. There's the well known Robert Johnson, the lesser known Tommy Johnson and finally the "forgotten Johnson," Lonnie. Usually I insert a lame joke like "And it's always a bad idea to forget your Johnson!" But I always point out that of the three acoustic Johnsons (and there are many more, including the truly holy Blind Willie Johnson), Lonnie was by far the most sophisticated guitarist and urbane vocalist.His career is in part a bridge between the country blues of the prewar period and the urban blues that followed. It also bridges the blues, jazz and swing idioms. By all accounts a quiet and unassuming man, Lonnie weathered personal tragedy (the death of most of his family during the influenza epidemic of 1918), and professional ups (recording with jazz luminaries Louis Armstrong. Duke Ellington and Eddie Lang) and downs (work as a steelworker during the Great Depression and a janitor late in life). Yet even a cursory listen to his extensive recorded output reveals that he was a giants among guitar players of his, or any other era; influencing Robert Johnson and B.B. King among countless others (including yours truly).
Recently NPR's "All Things Considered" did its part to raise Lonnie Johnson's profile. You can hear it by clicking here.
