Lonnie Johnson's early recordings are the first guitar recordings that display a single-note soloing style with use of string bending and vibrato. While it cannot be proven that this contains the influence of earlier players who did not record, it is the origin of Blues and Rock solo guitar. Johnson's influence is obvious in Django Reinhardt, T-Bone Walker and virtually all electric blues guitar players.
[citation needed] Raised in a family of musicians, Johnson studied violin and guitar as a child, but concentrated on the latter throughout his professional career. A 1917 tour to England with a revue may have saved his life, for he returned to New Orleans in 1919 to find that most of his family had died in the 1918 influenza epidemic.
In the early 1920s, Johnson worked with the orchestras of Charlie Creath and Fate Marable on riverboats, but he made St. Louis his home in 1925. There he entered and won an Okeh Records blues contest that resulted in his making a series of memorable recordings for the label between 1925 and 1932, including guitar duets with Eddie Lang and vocal duets with Victoria Spivey. In the 1920s, Johnson also made guest appearances on records by Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five, the Duke Ellington orchestra, and The Chocolate Dandies, playing 12-string guitar solos in an extraordinary, pioneering single-string style that greatly influenced such future jazz guitarists as Charlie Christian and Django Reinhardt, and gave the instrument new meaning as a jazz voice.
Lonnie Johnson's career was a rollercoaster ride that sometimes took him away from music. In between great musical accomplishments, he found it necessary to take menial jobs that ranged from working in a steel foundry to mopping floors as a janitor. He was working at Philadelphia's Benjamin Franklin Hotel in 1959 when WHAT-FM disc jockey Chris Albertson happened upon him. Albertson succeeded in securing for Johnson a Chicago engagement at the Playboy Club, which launched yet another comeback. Johnson subsequently performed with Duke Ellington and his orchestra and with an all-star folk concert, both at Town Hall, New York City.
He also toured Europe and recorded several albums for the Prestige Bluesville label, some with Elmer Snowden, and one with his Okeh vocal partner, Victoria Spivey. To his great regret, Johnson was always tagged as a blues artist, and he found it difficult to be regarded as anything else. "I had done some singing by then," he explained when asked why he entered the Okeh contest, "but I still didn't take it as seriously as my guitar playing, and I guess I would have done anything to get recorded--it just happened to be a blues contest, so I sang the blues."
Johnson died in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, June 16, 1970 of complications resulting from a 1969 auto accident. He was posthumously inducted into the Louisiana Blues Hall of Fame in 1997.
One of Elvis Presley's earliest recordings was Johnson's blues ballad, "Tomorrow Night", which was also recorded by LaVern Baker
Bob Dylan wrote about the performing method he learned from Johnson in Chronicles, Vol. 1. Dylan thinks Robert Johnson had learned a lot from Lonnie.
My last love
Lonnie Johnson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Long as we can be happy go lucky,
Every night that we stroll along – let the whole wide world go wrong.
What does it matter, if every sweetheart goes wild?
Long as I can whole you in my arms every night,
In my heart you're still a baby child.
Often do those mean little things you do?
Why do you make me feel so awfully blue,
When I've give up my mother an' day, an' everyone just to be with you?
Please realize, this is my last love,
There will never be no more.
I will always love you darling, no matter where you go.
This is my last love,
There will never be no more.
I will always love you darling, no matter where you go.
In Lonnie Johnson's song "My Last Love," the lyrics convey a sense of resignation and acceptance in the face of heartbreak and disappointment in love. The singer acknowledges that every sweetheart he has had has gone wrong or wild, but it doesn't matter as long as they can be happy-go-lucky and enjoy each other's company. The world may be falling apart, but their love provides solace and escape from the chaos.
The lyrics also express a sense of confusion and hurt caused by the partner's actions. The singer questions why their lover says and does mean things, making him feel deeply sad and blue. Despite the pain, the singer has given up everything, even his own family, just to be with this person. The plea is for the partner to understand the significance of their relationship, as it is the singer's last love, and no matter where they go, he will always love them.
Lonnie Johnson's "My Last Love" captures the complexities and emotions of a love that persists despite the hardships faced. It reflects the bittersweet nature of relationships, where even though there may be disappointment, heartbreak, and confusion, the love remains constant and unwavering.
Line by Line Meaning
What does it matter, if every sweetheart goes wrong?
Why should it concern us if every lover we've had has disappointed us?
Long as we can be happy go lucky,
As long as we can maintain a carefree and joyful attitude,
Every night that we stroll along – let the whole wide world go wrong.
Regardless of whatever difficulties or troubles may come our way as we walk together at night, we will remain unaffected.
What does it matter, if every sweetheart goes wild?
Why should it matter to us if every lover we've had behaves recklessly?
Long as I can whole you in my arms every night,
As long as I can embrace you in my arms every night,
In my heart you're still a baby child.
In my heart, you still hold the innocence and vulnerability of a child.
Why do you say those mean little things you say?
Why do you speak unkind words to me?
Often do those mean little things you do?
Why do you frequently engage in hurtful actions?
Why do you make me feel so awfully blue,
Why do you cause me to feel incredibly sad and melancholic?
When I've give up my mother an' day, an' everyone just to be with you?
Even though I have forsaken my family and friends to be exclusively with you?
Please realize, this is my last love,
Please understand that this love we share is my final one,
There will never be no more.
There will never be another love like this.
I will always love you darling, no matter where you go.
I will forever have deep affection for you, my dear, regardless of where your path leads.
This is my last love,
This love we have is the final one I will experience.
There will never be no more.
There will never be another love like this.
I will always love you darling, no matter where you go.
I will forever have deep affection for you, my dear, regardless of where your path leads.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: LONNIE JOHNSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lee Mitchell
My fav Lonnie songs!!! Genius...
r x
mee too Lee :)
Heinz Becker
good