The Original Guitar Hero and the Power of Music
The Legendary Lonnie Johnson, Music, and Civil Rights
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col width="94"Lonnie Johnson(1894–1970) was a virtuoso guitarist who influenced generations of musiciansfrom Django Reinhardt to Eric Clapton to Bill Wyman and especially B. B.King. Born in New Orleans, he began playing violin and guitar in his father’sband at an early age. When most of his family was wiped out by the 1918 fluepidemic, he and his surviving brother moved to St. Louis, where he won ablues contest that included a recording contract. His career was launched. Johnson can be heard on many Duke Ellingtonand Louis Armstrong records, including the latter’s famous “Savoy Blues” withthe Hot Five. He is perhaps best known for his 12-string guitar solos and hisground-breaking recordings with the white guitarist Eddie Lang in the late1920s. After World War II he began playing rhythm and blues and continued torecord and tour until his death. Thisis the first full-length work on Johnson. Dean Alger answers manybiographical mysteries, including how many members of Johnson’s large familywere left after the epidemic. It also places Johnson and his musicalcontemporaries in the context of American race relations and argues for theimportance of music in the fight for civil rights. Finally, Alger analyzesJohnson’s major recordings in terms of technique and style. Distribution ofan accompanying music CD will be coordinated with the release of this book.
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