The Inconvenient Lonnie Johnson: Blues, Race, Identity

Lonnie Johnson is a blues legend who mastered multiple instruments and recorded with jazz icons. Julia Simon's book explores his musical legacy, considering his lyrics, technique, and styles in the sociohistorical context of French colonial understandings of race. Johnson's performances challenged conventional notions of race and identity and displayed astonishing adaptability across a corpus of music produced over six decades. The book introduces us to a musical innovator and performer who was aware of his audience and the social categories of race, class, and gender that conditioned the music of his time.

Format: Hardback
Length: 236 pages
Publication date: 05 April 2022
Publisher: Pennsylvania State University Press

Lonnie Johnson, a blues legend, is revered for his exceptional virtuosity on the blues guitar. His influence extends across generations, from T-Bone Walker and B.B. King to Eric Clapton. However, Johnson's musical prowess knew no bounds as he mastered various instruments. He collaborated with jazz icons such as Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong, and he performed vaudeville music, ballads, and popular songs.

In her book, Julia Simon delves deeper into Johnson's musical legacy, examining his entire body of work in its sociohistorical context. Simon offers detailed analyses of Johnson's music, encompassing his lyrics, technique, and styles, with a special focus on its historical backdrop. Born in New Orleans in 1894, Johnson's early experiences were shaped by French colonial notions of race that complicate the Black-white binary. His performances challenged conventional notions of race and identity, pushing the boundaries of musical expression.

Johnson's ability to transcend generic, stylistic, and other boundaries is truly remarkable. Over his six-decade career, he produced a vast corpus of music that showcased his astonishing adaptability. Simon introduces us to a musical innovator who was acutely aware of his audience and the social categories of race, class, and gender that conditioned the music of his time.

Johnson's music compels us to reflect not only on what we perceive as "the blues" but also on what we may overlook, fail to comprehend, or choose to ignore. The Inconvenient Lonnie Johnson offers a fresh perspective on Johnson's musical legacy, challenging our assumptions about the blues, its production, and its reception. Through meticulous research and insightful analysis, Simon provides a reassessment of Johnson's significance in the world of music.

Weight: 476g
Dimension: 229 x 152 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780271092553