Henry Johnson/The Union County Flash!--Trix 3304
Join The Army; Who?s Going Home With You; Boogie, Baby; Rufe?s Impromptu Rag: My Mother?s Grave Will Be Found; My Baby?s House; Be Glad When You?re Dead; Little Sally Jones; John Henry; Crow Jane; My Dog?s Blues; Old Hometown; The Sign of the Judgement
Some might question the point of reviewing an out-of-print CD, but I was introduced to this CD recently through the generosity of a fellow Weenie (thanks Gary) and was so impressed with Henry Johnson?s music that I thought it should be acknowledged, even on the chance that someone might have the good fortune to find the original album or one of the re-issues of it on CD.
The album was recorded by Trix Records founder Pete Lowry in 1972, about two years prior to Henry ?Rufe? Johnson?s passing, at the relatively youthful age of 66. Johnson was apparently recorded upon the recommendation of his friend, harmonica player Peg Leg Sam, who joins him for two numbers here. Hearing the music on this CD makes me so thankful that Pete Lowry, much like George Mitchell in the same period, was not quite ready to assume that the country blues were dead, for the South Carolinian Henry Johnson was a major musical find, every bit in the class of such stellar country bluesmen first recorded in the LP era as Mance Lipscomb, John Jackson, Shirley Griffith and Bill Williams.
Johnson opens the program with ?Join the Army?, a churning blues in E standard with a dangerously catchy signature riff. Johnson?s treatment of time is nothing short of spectacular, and is original to boot, as Lowry observes in the album?s liner notes. Next up is ?Who?s Going Home With You?, a non-slide 16-bar blues in Vestapol, employing a melody more commonly know as ?Going Down The Road Feeling Bad? or ?Lonesome Road Blues? in Bluegrass circles. ?Boogie, Baby?, for which Johnson is joined by the ebullient Peg Leg Sam, follows, and the energy with which Johnson keeps his 8-to-the-bar boogie bass in E going during the course of the almost four minute rendition has to be heard to be believed. It is one of the only cuts I have ever heard in this style that sounds like a precursor to Del Rey?s boogie rave-ups.
?Rufe?s Impromptu Rag?, an instrumental in C that was apparently improvised at Lowry?s request sounds like a combination of the hymn ?Where Can I Go But to the Lord? with ?Careless Love? along with a good bit of original musical connective tissue. ?My Mother?s Grave Will Be Found? sounds like a song that Charlie Poole might have sung, and Johnson takes the novel approach of playing it with a slide in Vestapol at E, but in the key of B, so that his home position is a barre at the seventh fret. The only other song in the style that I can readily recall that involves playing slide in a home key other than that of the open strings is Fred McMullen?s ?Wait And Listen?, which he played in Spanish with a slide, but in D.
?My Baby?s Home? is a dark slow-medium tempo blues in E, with an especially strong vocal. ?Be Glad When You?re Dead? finds Johnson playing a raggy accompaniment in D, standard tuning. ?Little Sally Jones?, played in E, is a brilliant re-working of Blind Blake?s ?Low Down Loving Gal?, which Blake played in C. This transposition of this Blake tune from Blake?s key of C to E reminds me of fellow Trix artist Willie Trice?s version of ?Diddie Wa Diddie?, played brilliantly and surprisingly in E. I am not accustomed to hearing covers played of Blake tunes in which I prefer the more recent player?s time to Blake?s, but that is the case with Henry Johnson?s rendition of ?Little Sally Jones?.
?John Henry? follows, played as per usual in Vestapol with a slide, but believe me, that is the only aspect of this rendition that is usual. Henry Johnson does a hilariously entertaining, long and involved recitation on this song. DJ alluded to it in the ?John Henry? thread earlier as being his favorite version of the song, and after hearing this rendition, I concur. Henry Johnson cracks up laughing at the end of it, and you can see why--it?s just brilliant.
?Crow Jane? follows, and is one of the high points of the program. Johnson plays it for a full five minutes, and for an 8-bar blues, that is a long damn time. Like Furry Lewis, John Hurt, Ishmon Bracey, Skip James and others, Henry Johnson likes to go long at the end of the form, thriving on a riff and playing it to his heart?s content. In the course of the rendition, Johnson sings many verses I have never heard sung elsewhere, which is somewhat surprising for a rendition of such an evergreen. A quality of his playing is strongly in evidence here that I also associate with the playing of Mance Lipscomb: both players had such huge imaginations and bags of tricks that their renditions tended to continue changing from beginning to end, rather than being a loop of the same nifty pass through the form, over and over. I don?t know that I could say that this is the best version of ?Crow Jane? I?ve ever heard, but I have no problem saying that it is my favorite.
For ?My Dog?s Blues?, Johnson is once again joined by the irrepressible Peg Leg Sam, and here?s another case where Johnson sounds like he could keep coming up with different verses into the next millenium. ?Old Hometown? is an up-tempo country song, played in G, and the program concludes with the very strong ?The Sign of the Judgement?, which bears no musical resemblance to Kid Prince Moore?s ?Sign of Judgement?.
This is a perfectly wonderful CD by a spectacular musician who had so much to offer, different approaches to playing, different kinds of material, strong singing, and a thrilling vitality to everything he did that just draws you in, as you hear the intelligence and strength of personality with which he shaped his renditions. I?m very sorry that I missed this recording when it first came out, and more sorry yet that I never had an opportunity to see Henry Johnson play in person, but I am so glad and thankful that Pete Lowry took the time and made the effort to document Henry Johnson?s music. We can wish that Henry Johnson?s music was documented to the extent that Mance Lipscomb?s music was, album after album, but it?s not going to happen , and you know what? This one album is a hell of lot.
All best,
Johnm
Join The Army; Who?s Going Home With You; Boogie, Baby; Rufe?s Impromptu Rag: My Mother?s Grave Will Be Found; My Baby?s House; Be Glad When You?re Dead; Little Sally Jones; John Henry; Crow Jane; My Dog?s Blues; Old Hometown; The Sign of the Judgement
Some might question the point of reviewing an out-of-print CD, but I was introduced to this CD recently through the generosity of a fellow Weenie (thanks Gary) and was so impressed with Henry Johnson?s music that I thought it should be acknowledged, even on the chance that someone might have the good fortune to find the original album or one of the re-issues of it on CD.
The album was recorded by Trix Records founder Pete Lowry in 1972, about two years prior to Henry ?Rufe? Johnson?s passing, at the relatively youthful age of 66. Johnson was apparently recorded upon the recommendation of his friend, harmonica player Peg Leg Sam, who joins him for two numbers here. Hearing the music on this CD makes me so thankful that Pete Lowry, much like George Mitchell in the same period, was not quite ready to assume that the country blues were dead, for the South Carolinian Henry Johnson was a major musical find, every bit in the class of such stellar country bluesmen first recorded in the LP era as Mance Lipscomb, John Jackson, Shirley Griffith and Bill Williams.
Johnson opens the program with ?Join the Army?, a churning blues in E standard with a dangerously catchy signature riff. Johnson?s treatment of time is nothing short of spectacular, and is original to boot, as Lowry observes in the album?s liner notes. Next up is ?Who?s Going Home With You?, a non-slide 16-bar blues in Vestapol, employing a melody more commonly know as ?Going Down The Road Feeling Bad? or ?Lonesome Road Blues? in Bluegrass circles. ?Boogie, Baby?, for which Johnson is joined by the ebullient Peg Leg Sam, follows, and the energy with which Johnson keeps his 8-to-the-bar boogie bass in E going during the course of the almost four minute rendition has to be heard to be believed. It is one of the only cuts I have ever heard in this style that sounds like a precursor to Del Rey?s boogie rave-ups.
?Rufe?s Impromptu Rag?, an instrumental in C that was apparently improvised at Lowry?s request sounds like a combination of the hymn ?Where Can I Go But to the Lord? with ?Careless Love? along with a good bit of original musical connective tissue. ?My Mother?s Grave Will Be Found? sounds like a song that Charlie Poole might have sung, and Johnson takes the novel approach of playing it with a slide in Vestapol at E, but in the key of B, so that his home position is a barre at the seventh fret. The only other song in the style that I can readily recall that involves playing slide in a home key other than that of the open strings is Fred McMullen?s ?Wait And Listen?, which he played in Spanish with a slide, but in D.
?My Baby?s Home? is a dark slow-medium tempo blues in E, with an especially strong vocal. ?Be Glad When You?re Dead? finds Johnson playing a raggy accompaniment in D, standard tuning. ?Little Sally Jones?, played in E, is a brilliant re-working of Blind Blake?s ?Low Down Loving Gal?, which Blake played in C. This transposition of this Blake tune from Blake?s key of C to E reminds me of fellow Trix artist Willie Trice?s version of ?Diddie Wa Diddie?, played brilliantly and surprisingly in E. I am not accustomed to hearing covers played of Blake tunes in which I prefer the more recent player?s time to Blake?s, but that is the case with Henry Johnson?s rendition of ?Little Sally Jones?.
?John Henry? follows, played as per usual in Vestapol with a slide, but believe me, that is the only aspect of this rendition that is usual. Henry Johnson does a hilariously entertaining, long and involved recitation on this song. DJ alluded to it in the ?John Henry? thread earlier as being his favorite version of the song, and after hearing this rendition, I concur. Henry Johnson cracks up laughing at the end of it, and you can see why--it?s just brilliant.
?Crow Jane? follows, and is one of the high points of the program. Johnson plays it for a full five minutes, and for an 8-bar blues, that is a long damn time. Like Furry Lewis, John Hurt, Ishmon Bracey, Skip James and others, Henry Johnson likes to go long at the end of the form, thriving on a riff and playing it to his heart?s content. In the course of the rendition, Johnson sings many verses I have never heard sung elsewhere, which is somewhat surprising for a rendition of such an evergreen. A quality of his playing is strongly in evidence here that I also associate with the playing of Mance Lipscomb: both players had such huge imaginations and bags of tricks that their renditions tended to continue changing from beginning to end, rather than being a loop of the same nifty pass through the form, over and over. I don?t know that I could say that this is the best version of ?Crow Jane? I?ve ever heard, but I have no problem saying that it is my favorite.
For ?My Dog?s Blues?, Johnson is once again joined by the irrepressible Peg Leg Sam, and here?s another case where Johnson sounds like he could keep coming up with different verses into the next millenium. ?Old Hometown? is an up-tempo country song, played in G, and the program concludes with the very strong ?The Sign of the Judgement?, which bears no musical resemblance to Kid Prince Moore?s ?Sign of Judgement?.
This is a perfectly wonderful CD by a spectacular musician who had so much to offer, different approaches to playing, different kinds of material, strong singing, and a thrilling vitality to everything he did that just draws you in, as you hear the intelligence and strength of personality with which he shaped his renditions. I?m very sorry that I missed this recording when it first came out, and more sorry yet that I never had an opportunity to see Henry Johnson play in person, but I am so glad and thankful that Pete Lowry took the time and made the effort to document Henry Johnson?s music. We can wish that Henry Johnson?s music was documented to the extent that Mance Lipscomb?s music was, album after album, but it?s not going to happen , and you know what? This one album is a hell of lot.
All best,
Johnm