The timing of music releases can be an unpredictable thing, and in the case of Lonnie Johnson’s work, it’s a reminder of how the past continues to influence the present. A pioneering guitarist from the 1920s and 1930s, Johnson’s impact on the blues and jazz scenes was undeniable. He played alongside legends such as Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, and Duke Ellington, and his unique approach to single-note soloing with string bending and vibrato left a lasting mark on players like Charlie Christian and Django Reinhardt.
Johnson’s career saw a revival during the 1950s and 1960s Folk Revival. His influence extended even to Bob Dylan, who cited Johnson as a key figure in shaping his own style during his time in Greenwich Village. The album Blues & Ballads, recorded in 1960, marked Johnson’s second release for Prestige Bluesville and was met with mostly positive, though mixed, reviews at the time.
In this album, Johnson sings lead and plays electric guitar, accompanied by Elmer Snowden on acoustic guitar and Wendell Marshall on bass. However, the contributions of Snowden and Marshall are subtle, serving mainly as background. While the album is undeniably steeped in the blues tradition, it can be difficult to digest, given the somber nature of the songs. With tracks like “Blues for Chris,” “Backwater Blues,” and “Elmer’s Blues,” the album is filled with melancholy, and the word “blues” seems almost synonymous with despair.
Johnson’s vocal delivery reflects the sadness of the lyrics, such as in his rendition of Eubie Blake and Andy Razaf’s “Memories of You,” where lines like “How I wish I could forget / Those happy yesteryears / That have left a rosary of tears” resonate with raw emotion, almost to the point of despair. Yet, in contrast to the sorrowful lyrics, Johnson’s guitar playing remains a source of solace, providing an uplifting counterpoint to the heaviness of the themes explored in the songs.
When Johnson began his career in the 1920s, blues music often served as an outlet for Black musicians to express the struggles of racism and hardship, a theme that continued through the Great Depression. Many of the songs on Blues & Ballads would not have felt out of place in that era, with several tracks, including W.C. Handy’s “St. Louis Blues,” being hits at the time. These 1960 recordings were seen as authentic, especially when compared to the often sanitized or embellished versions of the blues performed by white artists. This authenticity mirrored the broader social context of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.
In 2025, Craft Recordings has remastered the original analog tapes, giving the album a fresh, pristine quality while preserving Johnson’s voice at the forefront. On tracks like “I Found a Dream,” Johnson’s voice takes on an R&B flavor that recalls the sounds of Elvis Presley and the Platters, artists who were themselves influenced by Johnson’s earlier work. The line between who influenced whom becomes blurred, showcasing the interconnectedness of musical history.
However, the real star of the album is Johnson’s guitar playing. The instrumental track “Savoy Blues” stands out as a powerful display of his command of the blues genre. Johnson’s ability to take a single note and make it resonate differently with each repetition demonstrates his deep understanding of the emotional power of music.
Johnson’s career, which began in an era marked by rampant racism in the music industry, found a revival during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. This was especially poignant given the hardships he faced during the 1950s. The re-release of Blues & Ballads in 2025 serves as a testament to the enduring power of music to inspire, heal, and connect audiences across generations, drawing strength from both the painful past and the hopeful present.
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