Lonnie Johnson

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Alonzo 'Lonnie' Johnson
guitar, vocals, violin, mandolin, piano
born: February 8, 1889 (or 1899) in New Orleans, Louisiana
died: June 16, 1970 in Toronto, Canada
Blues Foundation's Hall of Fame: 1990

New Orleans born Alonzo Johnson learns to play the violin in his early youth and visits Europe in 1917 as partician in a musical revue. Back in the USA he joins Charlie Creath's orchestra with whom he does his frst recordings.

In the following years he does recordings for the OKeh label, both solo and with jazz guitarist Eddie Lang. Through his terrific playing he changed the status of the guitar to a solo instrument. He became a very wanted guitarist and worked with the likes of Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. He married Blues singer Mary Johnson in 1925.

After Okeh, Lonnie furthermore recorded for Decca, RCA, Disc and Aladdin until he scored an enormeous R&B hit in 1948 on the King label with the ballad "Tomorrow Night". The song was covered by both Elvis Presey and Jerry Lee Lewis.

In 1963 he tours Europe again after which he retires in Toronto, where he was hit by a car in 1969. This very influential guitarist - on Robert Johnson, T-Bone Walker, B.B. King, Django Reinhardt - dies in 1970 from the effects of that accident.

Essential Lonnie Johnson albums: Blues & Ballads and Steppin' On The Blues

Albums:
- Lonesome Road [King 395-520, 1958]
- Blues By Lonnie Johnson [Bluesville OBC-502, March 1960] with Wendell Marshall, Claude Hopkins, Bobby Donaldson, Hal "Cornbread" Singer
- Blues & Ballads [Bluesville OBC-531, April 1960] with Elmer Snowden, Wendell Marshall
- Blues, Ballads & Jumpin' Jazz [Bluesville OBC-570, April 1960] with Elmer Snowden, Wendell Marshall
- Losing Game [Bluesville OBC-543, December 1960]
- Another Night To Cry [Bluesville OBC-550, April 1962]
- Stompin' At The Penny [November 1965] live album reissued in 1995 [Columbia/Legacy 476720]
- Lonnie Johnson Sings 24 Twelve Bar Blues [King KS-958, 1966]
- The Complete Folkways Recordings [Smithsonian/Folkways 40067, 1967]
- Tomorrow Night [King KS-1083, 1970] 2 LP set
- Lonnie Johnson [Storyville 162, 1974]
- Mr. Johnson's Blues [Mamush 3807, 197?] with Victoria Spivey, Eddie Lang, Texas Alexander, Mooch Richrdson, Katherine Baker, Violet Green
- Tomorrow Night [Gusto GD-5039, 1976]
- Bluebird No. 13 [RCA 42390, 1977]
- The Originator Of Modern Guitar Blues [Blues Boy RBD 300, 1980] with Blind John Davis, Joe Williams, Lil Armstrong
- Woke Up This Morning, Blues In My Fingers: Vocals and Instrumentals 1927-1932 [Original Jazz Library 23, 1980]
- It Feels Good [Queendisc 043, 1981]
- Blues Roots, Volume 8 (Swingin' With Lonnie Johnson) [Storyville SLP-4042, April 1983] with Otis Spann
- Tears Don't Fall No More [Smithsonian/Folkways 3577, April 1983]
- Mr. Trouble [Smithsonian/Folkways 3578, April 1983]
- Steppin' On The Blues [Columbia/Legacy CK-46221, August 1990] Victoria Spivey, Eddie Lang, Texas Alexander
- Blues Masters [Storyville 8004, 1991] with Otis Spann
- Me And My Crazy Self [Charly 266, 1991] with Joe Williams, Todd Rhodes
- The Complete Recorded Works, Volume 1 (1925-1926) [Document DOCD-5063, 1991] with Blind John Davis, Victoria Spivey, Hoagy Carmichael, Eddie Lang, King Oliver, Jimmy Blythe, Joshua Altheimer, Lil Armstrong, Porter Grainger
- The Complete Recorded Works, Volume 2 (1926-1927) [Document DOCD-5064, 1991]
- The Complete Recorded Works, Volume 3 (1927-1928) [Document DOCD-5065, 1991]
- The Complete Recorded Works, Volume 4 (1928-1929) [Document DOCD-5066, 1991]
- The Complete Recorded Works, Volume 5 (1929-1930) [Document DOCD-5067, 1991]
- The Complete Recorded Works, Volume 6 (1930-1931) [Document DOCD-5068, 1991]
- The Complete Recorded Works, Volume 7 (1931-1932) [Document DOCD-5069, 1991]
- He's A Jelly Roll Baker [Bluebird 66064-2, September 1992] with Blind John Davis, Joshua Altheimer, Lil Hardin Armstrong
- Complete 1937 to June 1947 Recordings, Vol. 1: 8 November 1937 to 22 May 1940 [Document 6024, 1992] with Roosevelt Sykes
- Complete 1937 to June 1947 Recordings, Vol. 2: 22 May 1940 to 13 February 1942 [Document 6025, 1992]
- Complete 1937 to June 1947 Recordings, Vol. 3: 14 December 1944 to 2 June 1947 [Document 6026, 1992]
- Playing With The Strings [JSP 3035, November 1994] with Eddie Lang, Duke Ellington, Don Redman, Lil Armstrong
- Blues In My Fingers [Indigo 2009, 1995] with Eddie Lang
- The Essential [Collector's Edition 15, October 1996] with Eddie Lang
- Hot Fingers [Catfish 110, September 1999] with Hoagy Carmichael, King Oliver, Lil Armstrong, Porter Grainger
- Swing Out Rhythm [Culture Press 991020, January 2000] with Victoria Spivey, Hoagy Carmichael, Eddie Lang, King Oliver
- The Unsung Blues Legend: The Living Room Sessions [Music Magnet Media 1001, 2000] never before released solo performance
- The Essential [Classic Blues 200011, April 2001] 2 CD set with Texas Alexander, Eddie Lang, Clara Smith, Victoria Spivey, Spencer Williams
- Les Incontournables: Lonnie Johnson est un maître [WEA, December 2001] French Limited Edition Digipack: Digitally remastered recordings from the Bluesville label archives
- The First of the Guitar Heroes: 1925-1947 [Fremeaux, July 2002]
- Rambler's Blues [Our World 306, October 2002]
- King of the Blues, Vol. 14: Hot Fingers [P-Vine Japan 2803, March 2003]
- The Rhythm and Blues Years, Vol. 2 [EPM Musique 16043, September 2003]
- Playing with the Strings [Snapper 14, March 2004]

- The Blues Of Lonnie Johnson [Swaggie 1225????]

Lonnie Johnson / Victoria Spivey:
- Idle Hours [Bluesville OBC-518, July 1961] with Cliff Jackson
- Woman Blues! [Bluesville Bv-1054, September 1961]

Memphis Slim / Tampa Red / Lonnie Johnson:
- Bawdy Blues [Fantasy, March 1963] with Pink Anderson, Blind Willie McTell, Victoria Spivey, Elmer Snowden, Memphis Willie B.

Roosevelt Sykes / Lonnie Johnson / Big Joe Williams / Victoria Spivey:
- Three Kings and the Queen [Spivey 1004, 1963]

Lonnie Johnson / Peetie Wheatstraw:
- Blues in My Soul 1937/1946 [EPM Musique 159032, January 1998] with Blind John Davis, Roosevelt Sykes, Joshua Altheimer, Lil Armstrong

Eddie Lang / Lonnie Johnson:
- Blue Guitars I & II [BGO, 2002] 2 CD set

Teddy Bunn / Lonnie Johnson / Al Casey / Django Reinhardt:
- 4 Acoustic Guitar Giants [EPM Musique JA160272, November 2002]

He appears on the following albums:
Various Artists - The Roots Of Robert Johnson [Yazoo, 1990]
Various Artists - Raunchy Business: Hot Nuts & Lollypops [Columbia/Legacy 46783, April 1991]
John Lee Hooker - Mr. Lucky [Atlantic 91724, September 1991]
Various Artists - Evidence Blues Sampler: Too [Evidence 26040, August 1993]
Bumble Bee Slim - 1934-1937 [Wolf 6, June 1994]
Various Artists - Blues Live from Mountain Stage [Blue Plate 305, October 1995]
Various Artists - American Folk Blues Festival: 1962-1965 [Evidence 26100, November 1995] 5 CD Box set
Various Artists - Too Late, Too Late Volume 5: 1927 - 1964 [Document DOCD-5411, February 1996]
Louis Armstrong - His Best Recordings 1924-1938 [Best of Jazz 4004, November 1996]
Various Artists - Pickin' the Blues: The Essential Recordings of Original Guitar Wizzards [Indigo 2077, August 1998]
Various Artists - Broke, Black and Blue [Proper 1007, December 1999] 4 CD Box Set
Various Artists - American Pop: An Audio History [Music & Arts 4017, June 2000] 9 CD Box Set
Various Artists - Real Blues [Columbia 501172, April 2001] 2 CD set
Clara Smith - The Essential [Classic Blues 200027, August 2001]
Sunnyland Slim - Jivin' Boogie [TKO Collectors 24, September 2001]
Various Artists - Rock N' Roll 1927-1938 [Fremeaux & Associes 351, October 2001] 2 CD set
Various Artists - Bill Wyman's Blues Odyssey [Document 32202, November 2001] 2CD set
Sunnyland Slim - 1947-1948 [Melodie Jazz Classics 5013, February 2002]
Various Artists - The Birth of Rhythm & Blues [Golden Stars 5330, April 2002]
Various Artists - The Best of St. Louis Country Blues Guitarists [P-Vine Japan 5747, October 2002]
Various Artists - Rude Dudes - Bill Wyman's Blues Odyssey [Document 32205, April 2003] 2CD set
Various Artists - American Folk Blues Festival 1962-1966 [Hip-O 103002, August 2003]
Big Maybelle - 1944-1953 [Jazz Classics 5089, May 2004]

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Video:
- The American Folk Blues Festival 1962-1966, Vol. 1 [1962] DVD

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