Luther "Georgia Boy" Johnson

Luther "Georgia Boy" Johnson
Background information
Also known asLuther "Snake" Johnson
Born
Lucious Brinson Johnson

(1934-08-30)August 30, 1934
Davisboro, Georgia, U.S.
DiedMarch 18, 1976(1976-03-18) (aged 41)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • songwriter
Instruments
  • Guitar
  • vocals
Years active1950s–1976
Labels

Lucious Brinson Johnson (August 30, 1934 – March 18, 1976),[1][2][3] known as Luther "Georgia Boy" Johnson, was an American Chicago blues and electric blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. AllMusic journalist Ron Wynn stated, "Johnson's own inimitable vocals, raspy lines and tart guitar eventually create his own aura ... a good, occasionally outstanding blues artist."[4]

Life and career

Johnson was born Lucious Brinson Johnson in Davisboro, Georgia.[1] He was raised on a farm and taught himself to play guitar.[5] After completing his service in the US Army,[5] Johnson played guitar with the Milwaukee Supreme Angels, a local gospel group in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. However, he gravitated towards blues and formed his own trio in Milwaukee. He relocated to Chicago, Illinois, in the early 1960s.[1][5] He backed Elmore James prior to James's death in 1963, and joined Muddy Waters' backing band in 1966. Johnson worked with various musicians during this period, including Chicago Bob Nelson. He recorded his debut album, Come On Home, in 1968, with Muddy Waters' band.[6][1][5]

In 1970, Johnson moved to Boston, Massachusetts, and found work on the blues festival and college circuits for the next few years.[1] His album Born in Georgia was released by Black & Blue Records. It was followed by Chicken Shack (1974), Lonesome in My Bedroom (1975), and the final album issued in his lifetime, Get Down to the Nitty Gritty (1976).[5][7] On records issued in his lifetime, he was credited as either Luther Johnson or Luther "Georgia Boy" Johnson, though he was also known to contemporaries as Luther "Snake" Johnson.[6]

Johnson died of cancer in Boston on March 18, 1976.[1][8] He was interred at the Mount Hope Cemetery, in Mattapan, Massachusetts,[5] where in 2014 the Killer Blues Project organised placing a headstone for him.[9]

Discography

YearTitleRecord labelNotes
1966Live at Cafe Au Go GoBluesWayWith John Lee Hooker
1966The Blues Is Where It's AtBluesWayWith Otis Spann
1967The Bottom of the BluesBluesWayWith Otis Spann
1968Cryin' TimeVanguardWith Otis Spann
1969Come On HomeDouglas Music
1969The Muddy Waters Blues BandTransatlanticWith the Muddy Waters Blues Band
1972Born in GeorgiaBlack & Blue
1974Chicken ShackMuseWith the Muddy Waters Blues Band
1975Lonesome in My BedroomEvidence
1976Get Down to the Nitty GrittyNew Rose Records
1992They Call Me the SnakeNew Rose Records
2002They Call Me the Popcorn ManBlack & Blue Records

[6][7]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Cub Koda. "Luther "Snake Boy" Johnson | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  2. ↑ Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues - A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara: Praeger Publishers. p. 105. ISBN 978-0313344237.
  3. ↑ Komara, Edward; Lee, Peter (July 1, 2004). "The Blues Encyclopedia". Routledge. Retrieved June 18, 2023 – via Google Books.
  4. ↑ "Lonesome in My Bedroom > Overview". AllMusic. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Anita Pravits (2012). "Luther Johnson". Keeponliving.at. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  6. 1 2 3 Stefan Wirz, Illustrated Luther Johnson Discography. Retrieved 21 April 2020
  7. 1 2 "Luther "Snake Boy" Johnson | Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Muddy Waters sideman Luther 'Snake Boy' Johnson had his career cut short by brain cancer". Chicagoreader.com. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Headstones Placed". Killerblues.net. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.