Blues You Should Know
The purpose of this podcast will be to pull your coats to some of the influential and notable blues artists who have contributed mightily to our genre. I won’t be talking about the folks you probably already know about: Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, BB King and the like, instead we’ll explore the lives and music of some of the greats who have either become forgotten or perhaps never quite made the “A list.”. The blues has a deep and rich history and the more you broaden your listening scope the more you’ll appreciate and understand this music we all love so much.
Blues You Should Know
Lonnie Johnson Pt. 1
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Bob Frank
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Season 4
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Episode 1
Lonnie Johnson may arguably be the most influential guitarist of all time. He was the first guitarist to play single string solos in both jazz and blues styles long before even Django Reinhardt or Charlie Christian. Robert Johnson imitated him on record and BB King and many others cited him as a major influence. He was also a superb singer with a gentle, mellow voice and was a terrific and prolific songwriter. His career, which began in the mid 1920s, before the advent of electric (microphone) recording, lasted through parts of six decades and included multiple comebacks. Part 1 covers his life, carreer and recordings through the recording ban of the Second World War.
