Johnny Shines
Johnny Shines (actually John Ned Shines ; born April 26, 1915 in Frayser , Memphis , Tennessee , † April 20, 1992 in Tuscaloosa , Alabama ) was an American blues singer and guitarist .
Life
Johnny Shines spent most of his youth in Memphis , where he started earning money as a street musician with his slide guitar . His first musical role models were Blind Lemon Jefferson and Howlin 'Wolf , but he had learned to play guitar from his mother.
In 1932 Shines went to Hughes , Arkansas to work as a farm worker. Here he met Robert Johnson , his greatest role model, who brought Shines back to music. From 1935, the two performed together. On their travels they came all the way up to Ontario . In 1937, a year before Johnson's death, they went different ways again.
Shines initially played in the southern states. In 1941 he left for Canada , but got stuck in Chicago . In 1946 he made his first recordings, which were not published. Recordings for the Chicago label JOB were made in the early 1950s. After further failures, Shines gave up music entirely in the early 1950s.
In 1966, Johnny Shines was rediscovered. He toured with the Chicago All Stars , along with Lee Jackson , Big Walter Horton and Willie Dixon . He also performed with Robert Lockwood Jr. , another of Robert Johnson's students.
In 1980 Shines suffered a stroke. He died in Alabama in 1992 and was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame that same year .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Shines, Johnny |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Shines, John Ned |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American blues guitarist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 26, 1915 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Frayser , Tennessee |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 20, 1992 |
| Place of death | Tuscaloosa , Alabama |