Tommy Johnson
was country blues singer and guitarist from Terry, Mississippi. Johnson was
born in 1896, and by the Twenties he was an established figure in Mississippi
blues. The Sixties blues rock band, Canned Heat, took their name from the
Johnson song, “Canned Heat Blues.”
Johnson was a
dissolute figure who actively cultivated a sinister image through excessive
drinking and stories that he had sold his soul to the devil in exchange for his
musical mastery. A similar mythology would later be attached to Robert Johnson.
Johnson made his
first recordings for the Victor label in 1928 with the sides, “Canned Heat
Blues” and “Big Road Blues.” Johnson also recorded for Paramount Records in two
sessions, one from 1928 and another from the following year. These recordings
proved Johnson to be a vocalist of great depth and a fine guitarist.
Unfortunately, his recordings for Paramount, are of lo-fidelity.
Johnson’s
classic sides can be found on the compilation, “Complete Recorded Works in
Chronological Order (1928-1929)” (1994).
