Misplaced Pages

Luther "Georgia Boy" Johnson
Background information
Birth name	Lucious Brinson Johnson
Also known as	Luther "Snake" Johnson
Born	(1934-08-30)August 30, 1934 Davisboro, Georgia, U.S.
Died	March 18, 1976(1976-03-18) (aged 41) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Genres	Chicago blues electric blues
Occupations	Musician songwriter
Instruments	Guitar vocals
Years active	1950s–1976
Labels	Black & Blue Muse

Lucious Brinson Johnson (August 30, 1934 – March 18, 1976), known as Luther "Georgia Boy" Johnson, was an American Chicago blues and electric blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. AllMusic journalist Ron Wynn stated, "Johnson's own inimitable vocals, raspy lines and tart guitar eventually create his own aura... a good, occasionally outstanding blues artist."

Life and career

Johnson was born Lucious Brinson Johnson in Davisboro, Georgia. He was raised on a farm and taught himself to play guitar. After completing his service in the US Army, Johnson played guitar with the Milwaukee Supreme Angels, a local gospel group in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. However, he gravitated towards blues and formed his own trio in Milwaukee. He relocated to Chicago, Illinois, in the early 1960s. He backed Elmore James prior to James's death in 1963, and joined Muddy Waters' backing band in 1966. Johnson worked with various musicians during this period, including Chicago Bob Nelson. He recorded his debut album, Come On Home, in 1968, with Muddy Waters' band.

In 1970, Johnson moved to Boston, Massachusetts, and found work on the blues festival and college circuits for the next few years. His album Born in Georgia was released by Black & Blue Records. It was followed by Chicken Shack (1974), Lonesome in My Bedroom (1975), and the final album issued in his lifetime, Get Down to the Nitty Gritty (1976). On records issued in his lifetime, he was credited as either Luther Johnson or Luther "Georgia Boy" Johnson, though he was also known to contemporaries as Luther "Snake" Johnson.

Johnson died of cancer in Boston on March 18, 1976. He was interred at the Mount Hope Cemetery, in Mattapan, Massachusetts.

Discography

See also

• List of Chicago blues musicians
• List of electric blues musicians

References

1. ^ Cub Koda. "Luther "Snake Boy" Johnson | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
2. Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues - A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara: Praeger Publishers. p. 105. ISBN 978-0313344237.
3. Komara, Edward; Lee, Peter (July 1, 2004). "The Blues Encyclopedia". Routledge. Retrieved June 18, 2023 – via Google Books.
4. "Lonesome in My Bedroom > Overview". AllMusic. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
5. ^ Anita Pravits (2012). "Luther Johnson". Keeponliving.at. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
6. ^ Stefan Wirz, Illustrated Luther Johnson Discography. Retrieved 21 April 2020
7. ^ "Luther "Snake Boy" Johnson | Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
8. "Muddy Waters sideman Luther 'Snake Boy' Johnson had his career cut short by brain cancer". Chicagoreader.com. Retrieved May 22, 2017.

External links

• Luther "Georgia Boy" Johnson at Find a Grave

• 1934 births
• 1976 deaths
• American blues singers
• American blues guitarists
• American male guitarists
• Chicago blues musicians
• Electric blues musicians
• Singers from Georgia (U.S. state)
• Songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state)
• People from Washington County, Georgia
• Deaths from cancer in Massachusetts
• 20th-century American singers
• 20th-century American guitarists
• Songwriters from Illinois
• Guitarists from Georgia (U.S. state)
• Guitarists from Illinois
• 20th-century American male singers
• Black & Blue Records artists
• American male songwriters
• 20th-century American songwriters