Country Blues > Discographies

Johnny Shines

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doctorpep:
Hello, everyone! Am I the only one here who enjoys Johnny Shines just as much as Robert Johnson, if not more? Shines' voice was more powerful than Howlin' Wolf's. He could go from a whisper to a yell in one second. He's the only guy whose music causes me to constantly adjust the volume on my computer, which can be a bit irritating. His slide work was great, though I've heard some people say he wasn't a wonderful all-around guitar player. And the man deserves a lot of credit for writing country blues songs (like "The Devil's Daughter") decades after the heyday of country blues, just like Alvin Youngblood Hart (example: "Them Fair Weather Friends"). Few others are able to do this without making the country blues sound whitebread (Toby Walker comes to mind). Shines' electric recordings also contained a lot of intensity, again evident in his powerhouse voice (example: "Ain't Doin' No Good" and "No Name Blues"). He was also capable of doing more R&B flavored stuff like "Just a Little Tenderness" and "Give My Heart a Break." And we also have to consider the guy's incredibly poetic taste in lyrics. Along with Alex Moore and perhaps Blind Lemon, he was the most original lyricist in all of blues (even considering the many floating verses he used in songs). What I'm wondering is why everyone always mentions Robert Johnson in the same breath as Johnny, and why Johnny wasn't fully appreciated during his lifetime. The guy survived into the 1990s, so there must be plenty of information available on him to write a biography. I'd love to see his autobiography come out, as well. For those who share my feelings about Johnny, I want to let you know that Blues Reference recently re-released his "Takin' The Blues Back South." It's a great disc!

Parlor Picker:
I agree about Johnny Shines.  I have quite a few LPs and CDs by him (nothing on my computer!), which make for very enjoyable listening.  As well as his accomplished slide playing, I think he had a great voice, full of expression.

jostber:
Totally agree. I love mr.Shines music, and especially this one:

Bunker Hill:
May I be so bold as to suggest folk check out the Johnny Shines entry in the oft overlloked Tags as well as this excellent discography by you know who ;)

http://www.wirz.de/music/shinefrm.htm

Prof Scratchy:
I was lucky enough to meet Johnny Shines and see him play at very close quarters at the Mariposa Folk Festival in Toronto in the early seventies. He was an extremely cultured, intelligent, dignified and patient man, even when being pestered with stupid questions by a  23 year old me who didn't know any better! And what a voice - loud, clear, and at times chilling. His guitar playing was expressive and could be bouncy and funky! I remember wishing his Gibson guitar would have done better justice to his slide work, as it was quite quiet, didn't sustain a lot, and sounded like the action was set too low for slide. However the slide guitar work itself was superb and the delicacy of some of it was a perfect foil to that crying voice. I remember cringing on his behalf when people would ask him RJ questions instead of Johnny Shines questions! A great player and a great man, IMO.

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