Larry Johnson - Midnight Hour Blues

Biograph has issued an exemplary country blues disc. Still active in New York today, Larry Johnson's musical star shined brightly in the sixties and early seventies, but as the magnificent 1971 recordings on Biograph's "Midnight Hour Blues" show, it is criminal that his talent has languished in obscurity while less talented artists are acclaimed as acoustic legends. A student of the Reverend Gary Davis, Johnson displays plenty of the facile Piedmont style on this release while John Hammond provides some terrific accompaniments on slide guitar or harmonica which thoroughly compliment Johnson on the sprite opening "Blood Red River," the morose "One Room Country Shack," and the other blues heard here. Johnson's vocals are as delicious as the striking instrumental work. Hammond joins Johnson on a vocal on the closing "Tell Me Mama." Simply a terrific release that is welcome back on the scene. 

Today would have been Larry Johnson's 83rd Birthday. He was born on May 15, 1938, in Wrightsville, Georgia.  I recently came across this brief review I did in 1995 of a reissue of Larry's Biograph album, "Midnight Hour Blues." It was originally issued as "Country Blues." I likely received my CD from a record distributor. Here is a video of Larry performing the great Leroy Carr song, "Midnight Hour Blues."