1948-1949

Performer: Lonnie Johnson
Distributor: City Hall

Notes: Personnel: Lonnie Johnson (vocals, guitar); Lonnie Johnson; Jerry Lane (guitar); Paul Renfro (tenor saxophone); Frank Payne, Herman Smith (piano); Earl Wood (drums). Additional personnel: Edwyn Conley, Herman Smith, Monte Morrison, Paul Renfro, Frank Payne, Earl Wood, Jerry Lane (unknown instrument); The Three Clouds. Liner Note Author: Dave Penny. Recording information: Cincinnati, OH (08/13/1948-05/09/1949); Linden, NJ (08/13/1948-05/09/1949). Photographer: Jack Foster III. An innovative blues/jazz guitarist (he was one of the first to popularize single-note runs in solos) Lonnie Johnson was also known as a soulful singer with a rich vibrato who could be alternately romantic and saucy and had a number of popular recordings on Okeh and King Records. Though his heyday was earlier, this excellent compilation gathers his late-1940s sides, including the sweet "Pleasing You (As Long As I Live)."

In contrast to such contemporary country blues musicians as Blind Lemon Jefferson and Charley Patton, guitarist Lonnie Johnson performed a sophisticated, jazz-inflected blues. Active throughout most of the 20th century, he left a profound imprint on blues history, influencing such diverse giants as Robert Johnson, T-Bone Walker, Charlie Christian, and B.B. King.

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