Lonnie JOHNSON - Ramblers Blues 2002

Lonnie JOHNSON - Ramblers Blues 2002

Blues

One of the towering figures of the blues, Lonnie Johnson is rarely put in the category of the other blues greats — men with household names such as Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker — and it's hard to understand why. A mesmerizing guitarist, a gifted singer, and a great songwriter, Johnson is revered among blues enthusiasts despite his rather slim recording output. Rambler's Blues, a budget-line collection of Johnson's work, is a decent enough overview of the guitarist's output, containing the classic title track and 15 other top-drawer performances. But it's hard to see the purpose of the collection. As a scattershot 'best-of', it's fine, but it faces strong competition from both Document and Columbia, each of whom offer superlative collections of Johnson's work. And there seems little point in selecting this disc as a sampler of the artist.
By Thomas Ward. AMG.
**
Johnson was a pioneering Blues and Jazz guitarist and banjoist. He started playing in cafes in New Orleans and in 1917 he traveled in Europe, playing in revues and briefly with Will Marion Cook's Southern Syncopated Orchestra. When he returned home to New Orleans in 1918 he discovered that his entire family had been killed by a flu epidemic except for one brother. He and his surviving brother, James "Steady Roll" Johnson moved to St. Louis in 1920 where Lonnie played with Charlie Creath's Jazz-O-Maniacs and with Fate Marable in their Mississippi riverboat bands. In 1925 Johnson married Blues singer Mary Johnson and won a Blues contest sponsored by the Okeh record company. Part of the prize was a recording deal with the company. Throughout the rest of the 1920s he recorded with a variety of bands and musicians, including Eddie Lang, Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five and the Duke Ellington Orchestra. In the 1930s Johnson moved to Cleveland, Ohio and worked with the Putney Dandridge Orchestra, and then in a tire factory and steel mill. In 1937 he moved back to Chicago and played with Johnny Dodds, and Jimmie Noone. Johnson continued to play for the rest of his life, but was often forced to leave the music business for periods to make a living. In 1963 he once again appeared briefly with Duke Ellington.
**
01.   I Did All I Could (3:00)
02.   What A Real Woman (2:35)
03.   Falling Rain Blues (2:44)
04.   Mean Old Bed Bug Blues (2:51)
05.   Jersey Belle Blues (2:55)
06.   Crowing Rooster (2:36)
07.   Ramber's Blues (2:51)
08.   Let All Married Women Alone (3:16)
09.   Deep Minor Rhythm Stomp (3:01)
10.   I'm Just Dumb (2:56)
11.   Get Yourself Together (3:08)
12.   In Love Again (2:51)
13.   What A Woman (2:47)
14.   Swing Out Rhythm (2:28)
15.   Blue Ghost Blues (2:59)
16.   Somebody's Got To Go (3:02)
**
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Lonnie JOHNSON - Another Night To Cry (1962) 1993

Lonnie JOHNSON - Another Night To Cry (1962) 1993

Blues

In the 1920s and early 1930s, Lonnie Johnson was simply the greatest blues guitarist there was. His work with Eddie Lang the guitarist for Paul Whiteman's band, as well as his recordings with great jazz bands like Ellington and Armstrong's units, mark him as a founder of Jazz guitar. Even into the thirties, musicians like Robert Johnson would model their work on Lonnie's playing and not make that mark.

Lonnie had tough times in the depression and afterwards that would sometimes take him out of music. Though he had national R&B hits in the early and late 1940s, Johnson was found working in a store in Philly in the late 1950s and brought back to recording.
The old fire he had 40 years before on the guitar may be missing, although on every tune he shows his mastery not just of blues techinique but of Jazz harmony, and the voice is older and lacks the fire of some of his early recordings or the jubilant jive of his work in the 1940s, but there is wisdom here of a man who has lived in these tunes done with just Lonnie's voice and a very acoustic sounding electric guitar.
When he speaks of Fine Booze and Heavy Dues were know this is a man who knows of what he speaks. He gives you the feeling in all of these tunes of a real person telling you the lessons not only in the words of these songs, but in between the words, behind the words, even the truth the words hide.
Playing this and other records of this period are more like having the man over your place. You need to pull out some of your best whiskey. Sit down, pay attention, listen, and learn and gain not just some of his music, but some of his life!
By  Tony Thomas.
**
Lonnie Johnson, a talented vocalist and guitarist who chose to spend much of his life playing blues (although in the 1920s he recorded with some of the top jazz stars), had his fifth recording for Prestige/Bluesville (a solo set) reissued on this CD. "Blues After Hours" is an instrumental that shows off his jazz roots and many of the 11 songs (all of which are Johnson originals) have spots for his guitar. Since there is only around 34 minutes on this set (which could have been combined on one CD with the music from another LP) and none of the individual songs even reach four minutes, this is not one of the more essential Lonnie Johnson releases but it does have its strong moments.
By Scott Yanow. AMG.
**
01. Another Night to Cry  Johnson  3:19
02. I Got News for You, Baby  Johnson  3:15
03. Blues After Hours  Johnson  3:27
04. You Didn't Mean What You Said  Johnson  3:46
05. Fine Booze and Heavy Dues  Johnson  3:05
06. I've Got to Get Rid of You  Johnson  2:37
07. Bow Legged Baby  Johnson  2:46
08. Make Love to Me, Baby  Johnson  2:54
09. Lots of Loving  Johnson  2:47
10. A Story About Barbara  Johnson  3:18
11. Goodbye Kitten  Johnson  3:26
**
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