Big Jack Johnson
Encyclopedia
Big Jack Johnson was an American
electric blues
musician
.
One commentator noted that Johnson, along with R. L. Burnside
, Paul "Wine" Jones
, Roosevelt "Booba" Barnes and James "Super Chikan" Johnson
, were "present-day exponents of an edgier, electrified version of the raw, uncut Delta blues sound."
, Mississippi
. His father was a blues
and country
musician. Johnson stared playing guitar with him, but in his teens shifted to an electric guitar
. After meeting Frank Frost
and Sam Carr
at the Savoy Theatre in Clarksdale, Mississippi
in 1962, they preformed as The Jelly Roll Kings
and The Nighthawks for 15 years, recording for Phillips International and Jewel Records
with Frost as the bandleader
.
The 1979 Earwig Music
release Rockin' the Juke Joint Down marked Johnson's first recordings
as a singer. Johnson's subsequent 1987 album for Earwig, The Oil Man, included his recording of "Catfish Blues." He has recorded both solo
and as a member of the blues groups the Jelly Roll Kings
and Big Jack Johnson and the Oilers (with poet/musician Dick Lourie
).
He performed and wrote "Jack's Blues" and performed "Catfish Medley" with Samuel L. Jackson
on the Black Snake Moan, film
soundtrack
. Daddy, When Is Mama Comin Home?, his ambitious 1990 set for Earwig, presented social concerns
Johnson died from an undisclosed illness on March 14, 2011. According to family members, he had struggled with health issues in his final years, worsening to the point that there were erroneous reports of his death several times in the weeks prior to his death.
Source:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
electric blues
Electric blues
Electric blues is a type of blues music distinguished by the amplification of the guitar, bass guitar, drums, and often the harmonica. Pioneered in the 1930s, it emerged as a genre in Chicago in the 1940s. It was taken up in many areas of America leading to the development of regional subgenres...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
.
One commentator noted that Johnson, along with R. L. Burnside
R. L. Burnside
Not to be confused with R. H. Burnside, stage director.R. L. Burnside , born Robert Lee Burnside, was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist who lived much of his life in and around Holly Springs, Mississippi. He played music for much of his life, but did not receive much attention...
, Paul "Wine" Jones
Paul "Wine" Jones
Paul "Wine" Jones was an American contemporary blues guitarist and singer.One commentator noted that Jones, along with R. L...
, Roosevelt "Booba" Barnes and James "Super Chikan" Johnson
Super Chikan
James "Super Chikan" Johnson is an American blues musician, based in Clarksdale, Mississippi. He is the nephew of fellow blues musician Big Jack Johnson....
, were "present-day exponents of an edgier, electrified version of the raw, uncut Delta blues sound."
Biography
Johnson was born in LambertLambert, Mississippi
Lambert is a town in Quitman County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,967 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Lambert is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land....
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
. His father was a blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
and country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
musician. Johnson stared playing guitar with him, but in his teens shifted to an electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
. After meeting Frank Frost
Frank Frost
Frank Frost Frank Frost Frank Frost (April 15, 1936 — was one of the foremost American delta blues harmonica players of his generation.-Life and career:Born Frank Otis Frost in Auvergne, Arkansas, United States, Frost learned to play piano at church as a young boy. He moved to St. Louis, Missouri...
and Sam Carr
Sam Carr
Sam Carr was an organizer for the Communist Party of Canada and, its successor, the Labour-Progressive Party in the 1930s and 1940s. He was born Schmil Kogan in Tomachpol, Ukraine in 1906 and immigrated to Canada in 1924, living in Winnipeg and Regina before settling in Montreal in 1925...
at the Savoy Theatre in Clarksdale, Mississippi
Clarksdale, Mississippi
Clarksdale is a city in Coahoma County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 20,645 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Coahoma County....
in 1962, they preformed as The Jelly Roll Kings
The Jelly Roll Kings
The Jelly Roll Kings were an electric Delta blues band. The members of the band were: Frank Frost , Big Jack Johnson and Sam Carr . Their most famous songs included "The Jelly Roll King", and "Catfish Blues".-Career:...
and The Nighthawks for 15 years, recording for Phillips International and Jewel Records
Jewel Records
Jewel Records was a record label which discs were pressed by the Scranton Button Company. Jewel is one of the big three record companies out of Cincinnati, Ohio. The two most famous, King Records and Fraternity Records, were responsible for several hits over the years from a wide range of genres...
with Frost as the bandleader
Bandleader
A bandleader is the leader of a band of musicians. The term is most commonly, though not exclusively, used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or rock and roll music....
.
The 1979 Earwig Music
Earwig Music Company
Earwig Music Company is an independent American blues and jazz record label, founded October 1978 in Chicago by Michael Frank.Before setting up his label Michael Frank from 1975 until 1977 had been - like Bruce Iglauer of Alligator Records and Jim O'Neal of Living Blues magazine - employed in Bob...
release Rockin' the Juke Joint Down marked Johnson's first recordings
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
as a singer. Johnson's subsequent 1987 album for Earwig, The Oil Man, included his recording of "Catfish Blues." He has recorded both solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
and as a member of the blues groups the Jelly Roll Kings
The Jelly Roll Kings
The Jelly Roll Kings were an electric Delta blues band. The members of the band were: Frank Frost , Big Jack Johnson and Sam Carr . Their most famous songs included "The Jelly Roll King", and "Catfish Blues".-Career:...
and Big Jack Johnson and the Oilers (with poet/musician Dick Lourie
Dick Lourie
Dick Lourie is a poet and the author of eight books. His most recent collection, If the Delta was the Sea, is available from Hanging Loose Press.-Professional life:...
).
He performed and wrote "Jack's Blues" and performed "Catfish Medley" with Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor and film producer. After becoming involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles such as in the film Goodfellas before meeting his mentor,...
on the Black Snake Moan, film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
. Daddy, When Is Mama Comin Home?, his ambitious 1990 set for Earwig, presented social concerns
Johnson died from an undisclosed illness on March 14, 2011. According to family members, he had struggled with health issues in his final years, worsening to the point that there were erroneous reports of his death several times in the weeks prior to his death.
Partial discography
- The Oil Man (1987)
- Rooster Blues (1987)
- Daddy, When Is Mama Comin' Home (1991)
- We Got to Stop This Killin (1996)
- Live in Chicago (1997)
- All the Way Back* (1998)
- Live In Chicago* (1998)
- Roots Stew* (2000)
- The Memphis Barbecue Sessions (2002)
- Black Snake Moan (2007)
Source:
Filmography
- The Jewish Cowboys (2003) (TV)
- Deep Blues: A Musical Pilgrimage to the CrossroadsDeep Blues: A Musical Pilgrimage to the CrossroadsDeep Blues: A Musical Pilgrimage to the Crossroads is a documentary film, released in 1992, and made by David A. Stewart in conjunction with his brother John J. Stewart, in collaboration with music critic and author Robert Palmer and documentary film maker Robert Mugge. The film provided insight...
(1992)