Big Jack Johnson

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Big Jack Johnson (2009)

Big Jack Johnson (born July 30, 1940 in Lambert (Mississippi) , † March 14, 2011 in Memphis (Tennessee) ) was an African-American blues musician and songwriter . He is known as a guitarist and singer, but he also played bass and mandolin. He got his nickname "Oil Man" because extracting heating oil was his livelihood.

biography

Johnson began his musical career at the age of 13 as a guitarist with his father, a blues and country musician . At the age of 18 he switched to the electric guitar . From 1962 he appeared as a trio with Frank Frost and Sam Carr , first as "The Nighthawks", later as "The Jelly Roll Kings". In 1979 her album Rockin 'the Juke Joint Down was released , Johnson's first recordings as a singer. In 1987 the trio broke up. In 1997 they got together again to record the album Off Yonder Wall . Both albums were nominated for Handy Awards .

In 1987 Johnson released his first solo album, The Oil Man ; especially his version of the catfish blues is considered outstanding. For his album The Memphis Bar-B-Que Sessions from 2002 - recorded with blues colleagues like Pinetop Perkins and Kim Wilson - Johnson received the Handy Award in the category "Acustic Blues Album of the Year". Johnson has received numerous awards throughout his career.

Big Jack Johnson died in 2011 at the age of 70 after a lengthy illness.

Discography

solo
  • 1987: The Oil Man (Earwig)
  • 1991: Daddy, When Is Mama Comin 'Home (Earwig)
  • 1996: We Got to Stop This Killing (MC Records)
  • 1997: Live in Chicago (Earwig; recorded 1994-95)
  • 1998: All the Way Back (MC Records)
  • 2000: Roots Stew (MC Records)
  • 2002: The Memphis Bar-B-Que Sessions
  • 2007: Juke Joint Saturday Night
  • 2008: Katrina
With the Jelly Roll Kings
  • 1979: Rockin 'the Juke Joint Down (Earwig)
  • 1997: Off Yonder Wall (Fat Possum)
With Frank Frost
  • 1962: Hey Boss Man! - Frank Frost and the Nighthawks
  • 1990: Jelly Roll King (Charly Blues)
With others
  • 1992: Portrait - Lonnie Shields (Rooster Blues)
  • 2000: Blues Advice - Ernie Hawkins (Orchard)
  • 2005: I Watched The Devil Die - Chris Cotton (Yellow Dog)
  • 2004: Lonesome Plowboy - Nate Myers (MercAce13)
Compilations
  • 1992: Blue Yule: Christmas Blues and R&B Classics (Rhino)
  • 1994: Sun Records Collection (Rhino)
  • 1995: Blues Fest: Modern Blues of the '80s (Rhino)
  • 1995: Earwig 16th Anniversary Sampler (Earwig)
  • 1997: Mucho Mojo: Best of Fat Possum (Fat Possum)
  • 1998: Defiance Blues (A&M)
  • 1998: River Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi (Smithsonian Folkways)
  • 1999: Earwig 20th Anniversary Collection (Earwig)
  • 2000: Road Trip Blues (House of Blues)
  • 2000: Rooster Blues Records: 1980-2000 sampler
  • 2001: The Handy Award Nominees, Volume 1 (Music Blitz)
  • 2003: Best of MC Records 1996-2002 (MC Records)

Filmography

Appearances
Soundtrack (contributions)
  • 2006: Black Snake Moan
  • 2007: Reservation Road (German: A single moment )

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Biography of Big Jack Johnson on his website, see web links
  2. ↑ a b c Tony Russell: Big Jack Johnson obituary . The Guardian, June 1, 2011 (English)
  3. ↑ Allmusic, see web links
personal data
SURNAME Johnson, Big Jack
BRIEF DESCRIPTION African American blues musician
DATE OF BIRTH July 30, 1940
PLACE OF BIRTH Lambert (Mississippi)
DATE OF DEATH March 14, 2011
Place of death Memphis (Tennessee)