Lonnie Johnson plays It’s Too Late to Cry Baby. Taken from the American Folk Blues Festival: The British Tours recorded in England.
The American Folk Blues Festival was first organized in 1962. German music promoter Horst Lippmann and American music journalist Fritz Rau organized the event. The tour featured a number of well-known blues musicians, including Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, and John Lee Hooker, as well as lesser-known artists such as Sonny Boy Williamson and Otis Rush. The tour was a success, and it helped to introduce blues music to a wider audience in Europe.
Lonnie Johnson
Lonnie Johnson was a pioneering blues guitarist and singer who was active in the early 20th century. He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1899 and began playing guitar at a young age. He learned to play blues and jazz music on the streets of New Orleans, and eventually made his way to Chicago, where he became a regular performer at clubs and bars.
People knew Johnson for his virtuosity on the guitar and his smooth, soulful singing style. He was a pioneer in the use of the electric guitar, and his playing influenced countless other musicians, including B.B. King and Eric Clapton. He recorded numerous albums throughout his career, and his most popular songs include “Tomorrow Night,” “Sweet Home Chicago,” and “Blue Ghost Blues.“
Johnson was also a prolific songwriter, and his compositions were recorded by artists such as Louis Armstrong and Bing Crosby. In addition to his work as a musician, Johnson was also an inventor and engineer, and he received patents for a number of his inventions.
Despite his many accomplishments, Johnson remained largely unknown to the general public during his lifetime. He struggled to gain mainstream success and was often overshadowed by other blues musicians of the time, such as Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters. However, his contributions to the blues genre were eventually recognized, and he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1988.
Guitars and Amps
Some of the specific models of guitar that Lonnie Johnson is known to have played include the Gibson L-5, the Gibson ES-150, and the Fender Telecaster. He was also known to use amplifiers from brands such as Gibson and Fender.
In conclusion, Lonnie Johnson was a talented blues guitarist and singer who made significant contributions to the genre. He was a pioneer in the use of the electric guitar and his playing influenced many other musicians. Although he struggled to achieve mainstream success during his lifetime, his contributions to the blues were eventually recognized, and he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.
