Richard Johnston (musician)
Encyclopedia
Richard Johnston is a country blues
musician who won the 2001 International Blues Talent competition award, and the 2001 Albert King
Award for most promising blues guitarist. His work as a street musician (see busking
) on Beale Street
in Memphis, TN was documented in the Alabama PBS film Richard Johnston: Hill Country Troubadour. The film, directed by Max Shores, featured Johnston singing and playing his "Lowebow" cigar box guitar
. It won first place in the professional documentary film category at the 2007 George Lindsey film festival.
Johnston studied under blues artists including R.L. Burnside, Junior Kimbrough
and Jessie Mae Hemphill
. His first album, Foot Hill Stomp (2002) featured Hemphill on vocals and tambourine, with assistance from R.L. Burnside's grandson, Cedric Burnside, and others.
His second album, Official Bootleg #1 (2004), was assisted by Hemphill and by Cedric Burnside, as well a number of other artists.
Country blues
Country blues is a general term that refers to all the acoustic, mainly guitar-driven forms of the blues. It often incorporated elements of rural gospel, ragtime, hillbilly, and dixieland jazz...
musician who won the 2001 International Blues Talent competition award, and the 2001 Albert King
Albert King
Albert King was an American blues guitarist and singer, and a major influence in the world of blues guitar playing.-Career:...
Award for most promising blues guitarist. His work as a street musician (see busking
Busking
Street performance or busking is the practice of performing in public places, for gratuities, which are generally in the form of money and edibles...
) on Beale Street
Beale Street
Beale Street is a street in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee, which runs from the Mississippi River to East Street, a distance of approximately . It is a significant location in the city's history, as well as in the history of the blues. Today, the blues clubs and restaurants that line Beale Street are...
in Memphis, TN was documented in the Alabama PBS film Richard Johnston: Hill Country Troubadour. The film, directed by Max Shores, featured Johnston singing and playing his "Lowebow" cigar box guitar
Cigar box guitar
The cigar box guitar is a primitive chordophone that uses an empty cigar box for a resonator. "Guitar" refers to the traditional instrument and to a string bass. The earliest predecessors had one or two strings compared with the three or more used in today's models...
. It won first place in the professional documentary film category at the 2007 George Lindsey film festival.
Johnston studied under blues artists including R.L. Burnside, Junior Kimbrough
Junior Kimbrough
David "Junior" Kimbrough was an American blues musician. His best known work included "Keep Your Hands Off Her" and "All Night Long". Music journalist Tony Russell stated "his raw, repetitive style suggests an archaic forebear of John Lee Hooker, a character his music shares with that of fellow...
and Jessie Mae Hemphill
Jessie Mae Hemphill
Jessie Mae Hemphill was an American award-winning electric guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist specializing in the primal, northern Mississippi country blues traditions of her family and regional heritage....
. His first album, Foot Hill Stomp (2002) featured Hemphill on vocals and tambourine, with assistance from R.L. Burnside's grandson, Cedric Burnside, and others.
His second album, Official Bootleg #1 (2004), was assisted by Hemphill and by Cedric Burnside, as well a number of other artists.