Lonesome drifters
The Lonesome Drifter (* 6. December 1931 in Bastrop , Louisiana , as Thomas Johnson ) is an American country - and rockabilly musician.
Life
Childhood and youth
Johnson was born on a cotton farm in Louisiana in 1931. As a child he worked as a water carrier for the Afro-American field workers and thus came into contact with them and their music, the blues . In addition to the blues, Johnsons was significantly influenced by Jimmie Rodgers and Bill Monroe .
Career
Johnson started his music career in the 1950s. He focused on country and was already an established artist in Louisiana by the late 1950s when he switched to rockabilly in 1958. Johnson heard of a new record label that had opened in Shreveport and introduced himself. Mira Smith, owner of the new label Ram Records, had Johnson record the single Eager Boy / Tear Drop Valley in her studio and released it in 1958 on K Records, a sub-label of Ram. While the A-side with Tom Bonnet on the electric guitar had a hard rockabilly sound, the B-side with George Mercer on the guitar was more straightforward country. Since Johnson did not want the record to be released under his real name, he suggested "The Lonesome Drifter" as a pseudonym based on his idol Hank Williams , who also recorded as "Luke the Drifter". The success of Tear Drop Valley gave Johnson the opportunity to perform at the Louisiana Hayride .
In 1959 or 1960, Johnson released a second single, again under the name "Lonesome Drifter", on the Ram label. With Honey Do You Think of Me / I'll Be Lonesome When You're Gone , this time a pure country single was released. Despite further recordings, Johnson remained a regionally successful musician. He worked as a steel worker during the day and ran a gospel studio in Monroe , Louisiana in the 1970s . In 1974, Collector Records in the Netherlands published Johnson's collected recordings for the first time. 2001 these songs were released again by Ace Records on the CD Shreveport High Steppers .
Discography
| year | title | Label # | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Eager Boy / Tear Drop Valley | K 5812 | |||
| 1959-1960 | Honey Do You Think of Me / I'll Be Lonesome When You're Gone | Ram 1738 | |||
| Unpublished titles | |||||
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[Status unknown] | ||||
literature
- Ray Topping: Shreveport High Steppers (2001); Liner Notes, Ace Records
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Lonesome drifters |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Johnson, Thomas |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American country and rockabilly musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 6, 1931 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Bastrop , Louisiana |