He was born John Ned Shines in Frayser, Tennessee. He spent most of his childhood in Memphis playing slide guitar at an early age in local “jukes” and for tips on the streets. His first musical influences were Blind Lemon Jefferson and Howlin’ Wolf, but he was taught to play the guitar by his mother. Shines moved to Hughes, Arkansas in 1932 and worked on farms for three years putting his musical career on hold. But it was a chance meeting with Robert Johnson, his greatest influence, that gave him the inspiration to return to music. In 1935, Johnny Shines began traveling with Robert Johnson, touring the south and heading as far north as Ontario. There, they both appeared on a local radio program. The two went their separate ways in 1937, one year before Johnson’s death.
Johnny Shines played throughout the U.S. South until 1941 when he decided to head back to Canada and then to Africa. He never made it past Chicago. In Chicago, Shines found work in the construction trade and continued to play in local bars.
He made his first recording in 1946 for Columbia Records, but the takes were never released. He later recorded for Chess and was once again denied. He kept playing with local blues musicians in the Chicago area for several more years. In 1952, Johnny Shines recorded what is considered his best work for the J.O.B. Records label. The recordings were a commercial flop and Shines frustrated with the music industry, sold his equipment and returned to construction.
In 1966, Vanguard records found Shines taking photographs in a Chicago blues club. He recorded with the label takes for the 3rd installment of Chicago/The Blues/Today!. The album has since then become a blues classic and it brought Johnny Shines into to mainstream music scene.
Shines toured with the Chicago All Stars alongside Lee Jackson, Big Walter Horton and Willie Dixon. In the late sixties and seventies, Johnny Shines toured with Robert Johnson’s step-son, Robert Junior Lockwood as the last remaining original delta blues musicians. In 1980, Shines’ music was brought to a standstill when he suffered a stroke. He would later appear in the documentary “Searching for Robert Johnson” and manage to release one last album, Back To The Country. Johnny Shines Died on April 20, 1992 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
In 1989, Johnny Shines met a Minnesota born young blues player named Kent Duchaine, and the two of them toured for the next several years until Shines' death.
Dynaflow Blues
Johnny Shines Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Baby, hear me when I moan
I feel so lonesome
Baby, hear me when I moan
Mmmm, who been drivin' my Dynaflow, mama
Woo hoo since I been gone?
I flash my lights mama
I flash my lights mama
My horn won't even blow
Gotta bad disconnection baby
Woo hoo somewhere down below
Coils won't even buzz mama
Generator won't get the spark
Motor's in a bad condition, baby
Gotta have my batteries charged
I'm cryin' please
Please don't do me wrong
Who been drivin' my Dynaflow, baby
For you since I been gone?
(Mumbled words)
Mr. Highwayman
Please don't block my road
Mr. Highwayman
Please don't block my road
It registerin' a cool one hundred, boy
And I'm booked and I've gotta go
I'm gonna get deep down in this connection
Keep on tanglin' with your wires
Deep down in this connection, baby
Woo hoo keep on tanglin' with your wire
Mmmm, when I mash down on your little starter
Then your spark plug will give me fire
(Squeeze my lemon till the juice run down my leg...)
"Dynaflow Blues" by Johnny Shines is a blues song that talks about a car or a vehicle with technical faults that need fixing. The song creates a metaphor about a romantic relationship where the singer feels lonely, and his lover is driving his Dynaflow, the symbol of the relationship. He is asking her to stop driving his Dynaflow while he is away as he feels neglected and alone, expressed through his horn that won't even blow. The singer is trying to fix his car parts as he is trying to reconcile and fix his broken relationship. He pleas to his partner not to do him wrong and be loyal to him while he is gone.
In the second verse, the singer is referring to the highwayman, a typical character in traditional blues. The highwayman is symbolic of the obstacles the singer faces in his pursuit of love. He can't afford to delay his journey as he has a hundred miles to drive, and his engine is already in bad condition. He wishes to fix it as soon as possible to get back to his lover and continue their love journey. The singer says he will keep tangling with the wires, a metaphor for fixing his relationship, until the spark comes back.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I feel so lonesome
I'm feeling unhappy and alone
Baby, hear me when I moan
I need you to listen and understand my sadness
I feel so lonesome
I'm really feeling lonely
Baby, hear me when I moan
Please pay attention to my cries of sorrow
Mmmm, who been drivin' my Dynaflow, mama
I'm wondering who has been using my car while I've been away
Woo hoo since I been gone?
Who has been driving it ever since I was gone?
I flash my lights mama
I tried to turn on my car's headlights
My horn won't even blow
But my car horn won't make any sound
I flash my lights mama
I tried to turn on my car's headlights again
My horn won't even blow
But my car horn still won't work
Gotta bad disconnection baby
There must be a problem with the electrical connection
Woo hoo somewhere down below
Most likely there's a fault in the car's wiring
Coils won't even buzz mama
The car's ignition coils aren't working
Generator won't get the spark
The generator isn't getting enough electricity to start
Motor's in a bad condition, baby
The car engine isn't working well
Gotta have my batteries charged
Maybe the battery needs recharging
I'm cryin' please
I'm pleading and asking for help
Please don't do me wrong
Please don't let anything bad happen to me
Who been drivin' my Dynaflow, baby
I'm asking you again, who has been using my car?
For you since I been gone?
Have you lent it to someone else while I was away?
(Mumbled words)
The singer's words are not clear
Mr. Highwayman
The singer is addressing a highwayman
Please don't block my road
The singer is asking the highwayman not to block his way
It registerin' a cool one hundred, boy
The singer is talking about his car's speedometer reading of 100 mph
And I'm booked and I've gotta go
He has a schedule to keep, and can't afford to be delayed
I'm gonna get deep down in this connection
He will try to fix the electrical connection himself
Keep on tanglin' with your wires
He will keep tinkering with the wires
Deep down in this connection, baby
He is determined to fix the problem in the electrical connection
Woo hoo keep on tanglin' with your wire
He will keep trying to fix the tangled wires
Mmmm, when I mash down on your little starter
He will try to start the car again by pressing the starter button
Then your spark plug will give me fire
He hopes that his attempts to fix the car will finally work, allowing the spark plug to ignite the fuel
(Squeeze my lemon till the juice run down my leg...)
This is an inexplicable line whose meaning is subject to interpretation
Writer(s): JOHN NED SHINES
Contributed by Leo I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@daeusto
Johnny Shines never got the honors he deserved. Indeed, What a voice.
@Zagg777
And what tail-end-kicking slide guitar.
@LuvBlues64
No words can describe how good this is,superb!!!
@27Atomic
GREAT vocalist, and slide player as well!
@haroldsteinblatt2567
One of the greatest blues recordings ever and, seemingly, totally unknown. Very different from Robert version; Shines vocal, rhythm guitar and slide sounds like they are out of control, why this track is so brilliant. Shines, for those unaware of this, was Johnson's traveling partner and learned his stuff straight from the source. A hellacious recording.
@BordiniBlues85
man!! this is robert johnson with drums!!! AWESOME!!!!!!
@cobraferrariwars
This boy really ripped it up. He tore it up.
@DerOheim1
I´m mad about Johnny. A real talent!
@BlueDevilBlues
Lord have mercy Johnny!
@joseluissanchezvaliente9461
This is the same as the song of Robert Johnson "Terraplane blues". Johnnny Shines was a Robert Johnson's one-time musical and travelling partner.