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.
Single Man Blues
Lonnie Johnson Lyrics
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What makes a rooster, crow every mornin' before day?
To let the pimps and ramblers know, the poor workingman is on his way.
We up before sunrise, workin' ‘leven long hours a day.
We up before sunrise, workin' ‘leven long hours a day.
We pay house rent and grocery bills, and the pimp gets the rest of the pay.
We make the money, while the pimp has the fun.
You know where there's only grocery and no money, there ain't no fun.
Men I found out, you can't keep a whole woman by yourself.
Yes I found out, you can't keep a whole woman by yourself.
So you might as well live and let live, and give the other half to somebody else.
In "Single Man Blues," Lonnie Johnson reflects on the struggles of being a working-class man in a society where pimps and ramblers seem to have the advantages. The song begins with a metaphorical question about why a rooster crows every morning before daybreak, suggesting that it is a signal to inform everyone that the poor workingman is on his way, while the pimps and ramblers are still sleeping. This line highlights the harsh reality that the workingman has to start his day way before anyone else, toiling for long hours just to make a living.
Lonnie Johnson goes on to describe the demanding nature of their work. They wake up before the sunrise, enduring eleven hours of labor each day. The money they earn is barely enough to cover basic expenses like house rent and groceries, while the pimps reap the benefits and enjoy the remaining pay. This verse sheds light on the unequal distribution of resources and the economic hardships faced by the workingman, leaving them with little joy or satisfaction.
In the final stanza, Lonnie Johnson calls for unity among men and acknowledges the futility of trying to possess a whole woman by oneself. He suggests that it would be better to live and let live, sharing happiness with others by giving the other half of a woman to somebody else. This sentiment expresses a level of acceptance and understanding that mutual sharing and companionship bring more fulfillment than possessiveness.
Through "Single Man Blues," Lonnie Johnson voices the frustration and challenges faced by working-class individuals in a society where economic inequalities and exploitation persist. He urges for change and unity, emphasizing the importance of finding joy and fulfillment through shared experiences rather than individual possessions.
Line by Line Meaning
What makes a rooster, crow every mornin' before day?
Why does a rooster crow every morning before daylight?
To let the pimps and ramblers know, the poor workingman is on his way.
To inform the pimps and wanderers that the hardworking man is starting his day.
We up before sunrise, workin' ‘leven long hours a day.
We wake up before sunrise, laboring for eleven long hours per day.
We pay house rent and grocery bills, and the pimp gets the rest of the pay.
We cover housing and food expenses, while the pimp takes the remaining income.
Men, we got to get together, yes, something's got to be done.
Fellow men, we must unite and take action, there's a need for change.
We make the money, while the pimp has the fun.
We earn the money, while the pimp enjoys the leisure.
You know where there's only grocery and no money, there ain't no fun.
Having only food supplies but lacking money, there is no enjoyment.
Men I found out, you can't keep a whole woman by yourself.
Men, I've come to realize that one cannot possess a woman entirely on their own.
Yes I found out, you can't keep a whole woman by yourself.
Indeed, I discovered that one cannot maintain full control over a woman alone.
So you might as well live and let live, and give the other half to somebody else.
Therefore, it is advisable to accept and allow others to live their lives, and share the responsibilities with someone else.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LONNIE JOHNSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind