Johnson, Lonnie (Alonzo)

Johnson, Lonnie (Alonzo), important early jazz and blues guitarist, singer; b. New Orleans, Feb. 8, 1889; d. Toronto, Canada, June 16, 1970. Brother of pianist James “Steady Roll” Johnson. Lonnie Johnson did local gigs with his brother, and also played violin and guitar in cafes and theaters in New Orleans. He sailed to Europe (c. 1917) to do revue work in London and theater tours. Whe he returned to New Orleans, he found that the 1918-19 flu epidemic had almost wiped out his entire family. He moved on to St. Louis (c. 1922), and worked with Charlie Creath, Fate Marable, Nat Robinson, and others (mainly on violin and piano). He worked in a steel foundry for two years, but continued gigging, mainly on violin and piano. Circa 1925, he entered and won a talent contest organized by the OKeh Record Co. Shortly afterwards, he began his prolific recording career, worked as an OKeh staff musician until 1932. From this period on, he specialized on guitar, but also did some recorded work on piano and violin. During his OKeh years, he recorded with countless artists including Louis Armstrong (1927), Duke Ellington (1927), and Eddie Lang (guitar duets, 1928). He soloed on one of the earliest versions of “Stardust.” He was reportedly a major influence on Robert Johnson and also a young B. B. King. In 1932, he moved to Cleveland and played on and off for a few years with Putney Dandridge’s Band, and on numerous local radio shows; he also did day work in a tire factory and in a steel mill.

He moved to Chicago in 1937 and worked with Johnny Dodds, then became house musician at the Three Deuces until 1939. In the early 1940s, he led his own quartet in local clubs. From the mid-1940s he began appearing as a solo vocalist, accompanying himself on amplified guitar. He recorded many singles and composed the best-seller “Tomorrow Night” (1948). He visited London for a concert appearance in June 1952, then returned to the U.S. and made Cincinnati his home base for several years until moving to Philadelphia, where he worked as a chef at the Benjamin Franklin Hotel until the early 1960s. During the blues revival of the early 1960s, he recorded several albums with acoustic guitar accompaniment, and toured Europe. From the mid-1960s, he worked regularly in Toronto, Canada, and also toured. In 1969, he was injured in an accident and then suffered a stroke; he subsequently spent many months in the Riversdale Hospital, Toronto. He sang at a Toronto blues concert in 1970 shortly before his death.

Discography

He’s a Jelly Roll Baker (1939); Lonesome Road (1958); Blues by Lonnie Johnson (1960); Blues & Ballads (1960); Blues, Ballads & Jumpin’ Jazz, Vol. 2 (1960); Losing Game (1960); Idle Hours (1961); Another Night to Cry (1962); Stompin at the Penny (1965); Complete Folkways Recordings (1967); Lonnie Johnson (1974); Tomorrow Night (1976); Bluebird No. 13 (1977); The Origi- nator of Modern Guitar Blues (1980); It Feels Good (1981); Blues Roots, Vol. 8 (Swingin’ with Lonnie) (1983); Steppin’ on the Blues (1990); Blues Masters (1991); Me & My Crazy Self (1991); Blues in My Fingers (1995).

—John Chilton/Lewis Porter