Sunday Morning Blues - Elmore James, Lonnie Johnson, Blind Willie Johnson, Tommy Johnson, and Skip James

Our continued adventures with the ABC Of The Blues, diving into some very old blues names this week with Volumes 19 and 20. Volume 20 is split between three artists, Tommy Johnson and Skip James split the second half of the volume with five songs each.

Elmore James
The King of Slide Guitar, Elmore was born in Mississippi in 1918, and by age 12 was making music. He is considered one of the first, and foremost, disciples of Robert Johnson. He was also a fast liver, his lifestyle in line with rock'n'rollers of a later age: women, booze, and fast cars. His sound was also louder, an amped up slide guitar. His biggest hit, Dust My Broom, was released in 1951, and there is still controversy over who wrote it- Elmore or Robert Johnson, Robert's release, I Believe I'll Dust My Broom, was put out in 1937. Elmore died in 1963 in Chicago. Elmore's slide guitar legacy would influence many musicians down the road, including Jimi Hendrix.

The collection here is as loud, and guitar heavy, as one could hope from a post-WWII blues atrist. He ranges from Delta to Chicago, West and East coasts, all of it amped up a little bit.

Lonnie Johnson
Backing up the other way, Lonnie Johnson was one of the influences of Robert Johnson, this bookend of pre- and post- Johnson Blues is an interesting mix. Lonnie is the first guitarist to play single-string guitar solos, and is considered the progenitor of both modern blues and jazz guitar. He is undoubtably one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. He had a chart topping career both before and after WWII, which is a rarity. But as many ups as he had, he also had downs, through the 1950s he would drop in and out of the music business, taking menial jobs to pay bills. In 1959 he was a janitor for a radio station when DJ Chris Albertson found him, and then produced a comeback album.

Compared to Elmore, Lonnie's playing is very sedate, straight blues. Nicely, the records here are clean and clear, even the ones before WWII.

Blind Willie Johnson
Willie Johnson was born in Texas, and the story goes at age five told his father he wanted to be a preacher and made himself a cigarbox guitar. He wasn't born blind, but was so by the time he reached adulthood. Willie freely mixed blues with gospel, and used his powerful gravelly voice to great effect. He was also an accomplished slide guitar player. His songs have been covered by a number of artists through time, from pop to rock. His track Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground has been used in film scores numerous times and is a classic and timeless, if not ultimate, example of slide guitar work.

Opening his collection with the iconic track, one can't help but feel it deep in their bones. And then, you realize this is the apex of the blues I think. No words, just guitar and a hum. Everything else is excellent music, well recorded with little record hiss. His voice is amazing, able to go into a low false baritone with that growl of his, and sing at a steady tenor. The blues and gospel cross perfectly where his guitar and voice meet.


Tommy Johnson
Another old blues singer from Mississippi, Tommy actually bragged about selling his soul to the devil. Most of his fame comes from being a very hard drinker as much as his singing style, which is a yodeling style not always heard in the blues. He was such a drunk he'd even drink sterno, hence the song Canned Heat Blues. While he had a long career in music from 1914 to 1956, he never made it very big.

We only get five early songs from Tommy in this collection. He wasn't lauded as a great guitar player, but his voice could go from a lower tone to a high falsetto, making him one of the better vocalists of his time. All the recordings are mostly clean, there is some recording hiss, but it's not as bad as on other collections.

Skip James
Another early blues musician from Mississipi, Skip started his career in 1931 with several recordings, and then immediately ended his career. The next thirty years saw him drift in and out of music, an almost completely obscure musician to listeners. His unique tuning (D-Minor) and finger picking style are of note. In 1964 he was 'rediscovered' along with Son House, kicking off a deep blues revival. He's never been cited as a great influence, though he certainly was of some. Most accounts have him as aloof and not quite part of the blues 'scene' - especially in the 60s during the revival.

His finger picking style, closer to East Coast (or Piedmont) Blues than Delta, and minor tuning give his playing a deeper tone, a little darker. We only get five songs here, which is probably the bulk of his 1931 recordings (I don't have a full list handy to compare to), but they're all pretty clean as well, the collection seems to be getting better recordings from the early bluesmen.

Next Week I get into exploring B.B. King and Little Walter getting some of the best guitar (King) and harmonica (Walter) the blues has to offer.