Tommy Johnson in Pre War Blues Forum

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Tommy Johnson

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Tom 1960

Tommy Johnson

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 6152

Dec 4 04 2:30 AM

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I realise there are many fans of this man's music here on this forum. So share some of your thoughts about this legendary blueman.

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MaskedMarvel

#1

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 6919

Dec 4 04 4:44 AM

A genius.

Too bad his drinking habbits prevent him from more recordings, and maybe a shame that he never went with some of his "friends" like Bo Carter, the Miss. Sheiks , Charlie McCoy and others that were recording in the 1930's and play and sing with them.

He was also Alan Lomax biggest miss in the early 1940's, Lomax was on several occasions in the Delta at the years 1939-1942 , Lomax or his workers and he only had to look for TJ who was still playing, and reported playing and singing in the night before he died in 1956.

From all the Bluesmen, the stories about TJ are the most interesting IMO, he was a uniq character according to the stories, which makes any piece of information about him a great stuff.

IMO one of the most inventive musicians, a favorite singer and player, a candidate for the most influential Delta musician. I can't stop listening to his music.

All the above written is in my opinion unless it is someone else's opinion, or a fact.

Location: Zur Moshe, Israel

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thirteenpointone

#2

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Posts: 412

Dec 4 04 5:16 AM

Tommy was apparently the guy that the whole "sold himself to the devil" schtick came from. If he never did anything else, he deserves a place in blues lore for this. Apart from that, he was actually a very inventive musician. Too often, delta bluesmen fell into the trap of replicating the patterns they'd heard before, and, while I'd listen to that happily, assuming they could play it well, ya can't help but notice the true innovators like Johnson (both Tommy and Robert). His distinctive chording style and falsetto vocals influenced bluesmen down the line that perhaps never even heard of the man. That is the mark of true greatness. Damn shame he ended up the way he did.

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Montgomery Cleft

#3

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Posts: 230

Dec 4 04 7:36 AM

I think the "sold his soul to the devil" schtick is the least impressive/important thing about him (and I seriously doubt it started with him either, despite what some of his peers said). He was a great great singer and guitarist. The recently discovered test of him doing "I want Someone To Love Me" shows a whole side of him that we'll never get to hear much of...

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Great Bear

#4

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 643

Dec 4 04 12:25 PM

I Want Someone To Love Me is a really intriguing song. In Davis Evans' Tommy Johnson book, LeDell Johnson (Tommy's older brother) mentions that the Wilson's played love songs such as I Want Somebody To Love Me and that, brother George and sisters Viola, Idella and Pearlie all played love songs. Clearly the Wilson's were a considerable influence upon the Johnson's. Although the advent of the blues and the influence of the Drew scene has in all likelihood tainted Tommy's test recording, I Want Someone To Love Me opens a fascinating window into the pre-blues sound of the Wilson's.

Also intriguing is that claim that Tommy met Blind Lemon Jefferson.

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Little Joe

#5

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Posts: 133

Dec 5 04 9:20 AM

yeah, i like Tommy Johnson as well...!
one of the first bluesbands i used to listen to was the sixties-bluesband 'Canned Heat'. (probably no need to say they got their name from 'Canned Heat Blues')
i liked 'Big Road Blues' from the beginning...
th�n i heard the original song by Tommy Johnson, and i was hooked!
i've got 12 of his songs,(sound quality is really bad!) i was wandering how many songs he recorded.

oh, i've got an other question; who are the other musicians on the song 'Black Mare Blues'? especially the piano-player...

My Webpage

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MaskedMarvel

#6

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 6919

Dec 5 04 12:59 PM

I think there are 18 tracks of Tommy Johnson that survived, the 9 or 8 for Victor have better sound quality, if you ask me, anything he did is great, even the moments that he just moan some undefined lyrics, and they were holding him concious talking to him and maybe physically keeping him on his feets playing and singing , he is such a genius that it appeals. He is such a great musician that it always works.

PS: clarinet Kid Ernest and pianist Charley Taylor

All the above written is in my opinion unless it is someone else's opinion, or a fact.

Location: Zur Moshe, Israel

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MaskedMarvel

#7

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 6919

Dec 5 04 1:16 PM

I think that the single "Lonesome Home" on the 3rd sessions shows that direction... Always keep in mind he was a genius.

All the above written is in my opinion unless it is someone else's opinion, or a fact.

Location: Zur Moshe, Israel

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Jack of Diamonds

#8

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 2558

Dec 5 04 4:05 PM

The sound quality of the 8 Victors is vastly superior to the Paramounts, and in my opinion also covers his finest work. I find that the clarinet on Black Mare Blues jars horribly.

As a foot note, Wolf's issue of Houston Stackhouse's Big Road Blues (Wolf 120.915) includes a Mager Johnson song called Traveling Blues, which is nothing special. That, plus most of the Stackhouse songs were recorded by David Evans, and were made prior to the issue of his book on TJ.

"Lightnin' change when Lightnin' want to"

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Montgomery Cleft

#9

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Posts: 230

Dec 5 04 5:31 PM

I actually think the Paramounts include some of his finest work but unfortunately the sound is really atrocious on some of these. I wish somebody would do some new transfers.

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MaskedMarvel

#10

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 6919

Dec 5 04 5:42 PM

QUOTE (Montgomery Cleft @ Dec 5 2004, 07:31 PM)

I wish somebody would do some new transfers.

I second. My wish list of new transfers for Delta stuff includes all the Big Delta Four stuff and Pattons like Circle Round The Moon and Joe Kirby and Heart Like Railroad and Magnolia and someone post about new Jim Lee master, and TJ's like Riding Horse, Sliding Delta and Black Mare and I Wonder To Myself.

All the above written is in my opinion unless it is someone else's opinion, or a fact.

Location: Zur Moshe, Israel

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Southside Bucky

#11

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Posts: 103

Dec 5 04 5:43 PM

I know that the recently discovered Tommy Johnson track is available on a Yazoo album, but I've got most of the other songs on that CD,

Can anyone tell me if "I Want Someone To Love Me" is available on any other albums?

Thanks in advance.

Bucky.

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Jack of Diamonds

#12

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 2558

Dec 5 04 6:01 PM

SB - I did a quick check on Allmusic.com, and apart from the Yazoo compilation, it is also on the Blues images 2004 calendar CD, which is where I know it from. The calendar and CD are well worth having, and it is still available from bluesimages direct, and in all probability from our mates at redlick.co.uk.

"Lightnin' change when Lightnin' want to"

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Southside Bucky

#13

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Posts: 103

Dec 5 04 6:42 PM

Thanks for that JoD,

I'll Order it direct from Blues images 'cause I just gotta have that Patton poster as well!

Just noticed you're based in South London, just 'round the corner from me in Battersea! Small World eh?

Regards.

Bucky.

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Montgomery Cleft

#14

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Posts: 230

Dec 5 04 8:28 PM

The "new" TJ song is available on the Paramount 2004 Poster, and also a volume of "Times Ain't Like They Used To Be" but I forget which one. I think these are the only CDs it's on. I can post it here if you want, though I don't know if it's possible to post here.

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Muddylives

#15

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 5141

Dec 6 04 3:00 PM

Tommy Johnson was the man.

Each of the individual components of his music was very simple and basic. But the way that they blended was magic.

Another thing, Tommy Johnson could flat out sing.

Muddy

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Les Forgue

#16

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 6205

Dec 23 04 4:25 PM

Last night for over 3 hours I listened repeatedly to Tommie Johnson "Cool Drink of Water".
I kind of like it.
But shame on him, he stole his guitar licks from Hubert Sumlin!
And he stole his vocal style from Wayne Cochran!

Les from Chicago

"Nobody sits on a rolling stone".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMRWhmqJwHc

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Little Joe

#17

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Posts: 133

Dec 23 04 11:50 PM

don't we all steel something?

My Webpage

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cih

#18

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 1283

Dec 24 04 12:06 AM

QUOTE (Les Forgue @ Dec 23 2004, 04:25 PM)

Last night for over 3 hours I listened repeatedly to Tommie Johnson "Cool Drink of Water".
I kind of like it.
But shame on him, he stole his guitar licks from Hubert Sumlin!
And he stole his vocal style from Wayne Cochran!

I can identify with that. When I first heard the song - on a Paul Oliver radio programme on the BBC - it was just the most amazing thing I ever heard, that falsetto. It's just perfect. I can't think of many, if any, songs that have struck me as much on first listen.

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Blueswriter

#19

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 6748

Dec 24 04 12:08 AM

QUOTE (Les Forgue @ Dec 23 2004, 11:25 AM)

Last night for over 3 hours I listened repeatedly to Tommie Johnson "Cool Drink of Water"... But shame on him, he stole his guitar licks from Hubert Sumlin!

That's a hell of a feat... Hubert wasn't even born yet when Tommy cut Cool Drink Of Water.

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Muddylives

#20

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 5141

Dec 24 04 12:13 AM

I had already heard a lot of Wolf, Floyd Jones, etc. before I finally got to Tommy Johnson. When I heard Cool Drink of Water, I thought, "there it is!. There is the source!"

Cool Drink of Water is my favorite Tommy Johnson song, and one of my favorite recorded blues.

Muddy

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