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.
Tomorrow Night
Lonnie Johnson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Will you remember what you said tonight?
Tomorrow night
Will all thrills be gone?
Tomorrow night
Will it be just another memory,
Or just another lovely song
That's in my full heart to linger on?
Your lips are so tender,
Your heart is beating fast
And you're willing to surrender.
Tell me, darling, will it last?
Tomorrow night
Will you be with me when the moon's bright?
Tomorrow night
Will you say those lovely things you said tonight?
Tomorrow night
Will it be just another memory
Or just another lovely song
That's in my full heart to linger on?
Your lips are so tender,
Your heart is beating fast
And you're willing to surrender.
Tell me, darling, will it last?
Tomorrow night
Will you remember what you said tonight?
Tomorrow night
Will you say those lovely things you said tonight?
The lyrics of Tomorrow Night by Lonnie Johnson describe the uncertain and anxious thoughts that arise after a romantic encounter. The singer is wondering whether the intensity and passion of the present moment will continue into the future: will they remember what was said and will the feelings last? The repeated refrain 'Tomorrow night' emphasizes the passage of time and the inevitability of change. Johnson's use of imagery such as 'your lips are so tender' and 'your heart is beating fast' paints a vivid picture of the physical nature of the encounter, while the singer's apprehension suggests a desire for emotional connection as well. The final lines, 'Or just another lovely song / That's in my full heart to linger on?' indicate that, regardless of the outcome, the memory of the encounter will leave a lasting impression.
Line by Line Meaning
Tomorrow night
Asking about tomorrow night
Will you remember what you said tonight?
Wondering if the person will remember what they said tonight
Will all thrills be gone?
Questioning if the excitement will still be there tomorrow night
Will it be just another memory,
Asking if it will be a fleeting memory
Or just another lovely song
Wondering if it will just be a pretty tune
That's in my full heart to linger on?
Questioning if the song will stay with them forever
Your lips are so tender,
Complimenting the person's lips
Your heart is beating fast
Noticing the person's fast heartbeat
And you're willing to surrender.
Acknowledging the person's willingness to give in
Tell me, darling, will it last?
Asking if the feelings will endure
Will you be with me when the moon's bright?
Asking if the person will be there with them when the moon is out
Will you say those lovely things you said tonight?
Questioning if the person will repeat the sweet things they said tonight
Will it be just another memory
Questioning if it will just be another passing thought
Or just another lovely song
Wondering if it will only be a pretty melody
That's in my full heart to linger on?
Questioning if the song will stay in their heart for a while
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: HANK THOMPSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@franktaconelli9095
picture Elvis sitting on the edge of his bed with his guitar learning this from the radio
@DavidRobinson-rj2sp
Great performance.
@carlosarany
Simply perfect!!!
@pootinella
Elvis Presley loved and recorded this song. It was said to be his favorite song in 1957.
@Dmichel123
Lavern Baker's Tweedle Dee was another favorite of his around this time.
@pootinella
I can see his liking that one too.@@Dmichel123
@marciosantos122
Maravilhoso que música linda , que Deus abençoe.🙏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
@gypzs9
Wonderful version of this lovely song.
@steveb1746
EXCELLENT!
@eduardovelez1847
Grandiosa interpretación