Louise Johnson (about 1908–after 1930) was an American Delta blues singer and pianist, who was active in the 1920s and 1930s. From her brief recording career, Johnson completed four songs during a famed recording session in 1930 which included

Charley Patton Charley Patton (April 1891 (probable) – April 28, 1934), also known as Charlie Patton, was an American Delta blues musician and songwriter. Considered by many to be the "Father of the Delta Blues", he created an enduring body of American musi ...

Son House Edward James "Son" House Jr. (March 21, 1902His date of birth is a matter of some debate. House alleged that he was middle-aged during World War I and that he was 79 in 1965, which would make his date of birth around 1886. However, all legal re ...

, and Willie Brown. Little else is known about her, although Johnson's self-accompaniment during the session is stylistically unique among female musicians of the era.

Biography

Johnson was born in around 1908, in Tennessee. She lived in Clarksdale, Mississippi and is believed to have been from Robinsonville. According to pianist John "Red" Williams, who remembered her in Tunica in the late 1920s, "she was a small woman, about 20 years old, playing piano in a joint attached to the cotton mill quarters". By 1930, she was living and performing on a plantation in Claxton. On May 28, 1930, after traveling to

Grafton, Wisconsin Grafton is a village in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. Located about north of Milwaukee and in close proximity to Interstate 43, it is a suburban community in the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The village incorporated in 1896, and a ...

, she partook in a recording session arranged by

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure. Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

Art Laibly Arthur Charles Laibly (April 17, 1894 – October 30, 1971) was an American record producer and sales manager. He was the first to make commercial recordings of Blind Lemon Jefferson and Skip James, and also recorded many other notable blues p ...

for Paramount Records with

, Willie Brown, and her romantic partner

. At the session, Johnson recorded four sides, including an unreleased alternate take.

Cripple Clarence Lofton Clarence Lofton (March 28, 1887, 1896 or 1897 – January 9, 1957), credited as Cripple Clarence Lofton, was an American boogie-woogie pianist and singer born in Tennessee. Life and career There is uncertainty over when and where he was born. Ma ...

claimed he accompanied her on piano for her songs, but House disagreed, insisting Johnson herself provided the instrumentals. Blues writer Steve Cheseborough in his book ''Blues Traveling: The Holy Sites of Delta Blues'' commented on the rarity: "This concept was so unfamiliar to scholars and fans that for years they tried to determine which male pianist had backed Johnson on her records". Despite her small stature, Johnson sang in a lusty voice and some of her material was of the

dirty blues Dirty blues encompasses forms of blues music that deal with socially taboo and obscene subjects, often referring to sexual acts and drug use. Due to the sometimes graphic subject matter, such music was often banned from radio and only available on ...

variety. Her best-known song is "On the Wall", a sexually explicit tune showcasing Johnson's piano arrangement loosely based on "Cow Cow Blues". Returning to Mississippi, Johnson was also a part of a " love triangle" with Patton and House, apparently wooing House on the trip home. Patton referred to the turn of events in his song, "Joe Kirby Blues". Around 1940, she was allegedly living in Memphis, but not much is known about Johnson's life after the recording session.

References

American blues singers American pianists American women pianists 20th-century American singers Musicians from Clarksdale, Mississippi People from Tunica County, Mississippi 20th-century American women musicians Year of birth missing Year of death missing {{US-blues-musician-stub