Luther "Snake Boy" Johnson

Biography

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×Born in GeorgiaStudio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1Born in Georgia3:102Rock Me Baby3:253Woman Don’t Lie5:414Bright Light Big City4:325Take Enough of Him4:426You Told Me You Love Me3:357Am I Wrong for Loving You6:598Walkin’ Blues3:289My Daddy Told Me4:5910Crawlin’ King Snake4:0511Please Give Me That Love2:4312Hoochie Coochie Man4:2213Everyday I Have the Blues4:4614Somebody Loan Me a Dime4:1415Rock’n Roll Every Day3:00 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×Get Down To The Nitty Gritty1992 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Lonesome In My Bedroom2Got My Mojo Working3Woman You Don't Have To Go4Get Down To The Nitty Gritty5Long Distance Call6Rock Me Baby7Don't Start Me Talkin'8Take It Off Him And Put It On Me9You Don't Have To Go10Hoochie Koochie Man (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, where in 2014 the Killer Blues Project organised placing a headstone for him.