Left us on this day (Nov. 1) in 1956: Mississippi-born delta blues legend Tommy Johnson (heart attack, age 60); with Son House & Charley Patton, he was a foundation of pre-Robert Johnson Delta blues; armed with a powerful voice that could go from a growl to an eerie falsetto range & a distinctive guitar style, he only recorded for two years (1928-30) but left an important body of work; The band Canned Heat took their name from his Canned Heat Blues; he was the first known blues musician to claim that he sold his soul to the devil; he also was among the first to do stunts with his guitar, playing it between his legs, behind his head & throwing it in the air while playing; a primary character in the popular 2000 film O’ Brother Where Art Thou, also named Tommy Johnson, is said to be based upon him & not Robert Johnson as has been assumed…
Posted on: Sat, 01 Nov 2014 23:33:01 +0000
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