Most of the musicians who are sadly overlooked in the scene
today are some of the hardest working – the blues musicians.
Way too many of these artists toil in one-night stands playing
to rooms that may or may not be filled, and release records that,
more often than not, end up hidden at music stores and in radio
stations.
In the legendary Pierce Memorial Archives (open to the public –
NOT), blues has always held a special place of honor. The emotion
these musicians pour into their works can be heard and felt, and
the Archives has a special portion reserved for such artists.
One of these is Jimmy Johnson, whose album
Bar Room Preacher was released on CD just a few years ago;
the vinyl has been out since, I believe, 1985. This is a classic
example of contemporary blues at its smoothest and best, and can be
found on a pedestal in the blues section of the Archives, next to
artists such as B.B. King, Lonnie Brooks and Son Seals. (Some of
these names don’t sound familiar? Don’t worry, I’ll be talking more
about them in future editions of “The Daily Vault.”)
Johnson is a solid lead player and an okay rhythm guitarist, but
it is his vocals that carry most of the music into the next level.
His cover of Fenton Robinson’s “You Don’t Know What Love Is”
reaches levels even Robinson himself didn’t hit; the tempo is more
upbeat, the leads tastier, the singing more soulful. One listen to
this, and you’ll know that the blues is supposed to invoke several
different feelings in the listener. Johnson is able to hit almost
every one of them at just the right time.
Johnson is comfortable performing anyone’s music, from Robinson
to John Lee Hooker (“When My First Wife Quit Me”) to his own
originals like “Heap See.” The album’s instrumental closer,
“Missing Link,” highlights incredible playing by Johnson,
keyboardist Jene Pickett, bassist Larry Exum and drummer Fred
Grady. In fact, don’t write off Johnson as just a blues musician;
his three compositions on this one all stand out as amazing.
In fact, very few cuts on
Bar Room Preacher miss the mark, the only one being “Chicken
Heads,” which seems a little silly to be included on this one. Of
the nine songs on the CD, this one seems the most out of place.
This album, originally released in France, was brought to these
shores by Alligator Records, a Chicago-based blues label who, for
over 25 years, have been finding the best blues musicians in the
country and recording them. Jimmy Johnson sounded right at home
with the Alligator lineup on
Bar Room Preacher. If you can find this one at the local
record shop, dig it out of the bins, dust it off, slap it into the
CD player, and prepare to be wowed by one of the blues masters.
