Luther Johnson Jr.

Luther Johnson – born in Itta Bena, Mississippi on April 11th, 1939 – was a Chicago blues guitarist who was also known by his nickname ‘Guitar Junior’. He is not to be confused with Luther ‘Houserocker’ Johnson, former Muddy Waters sideman Luther ‘Georgia Boy’ Johnson, or Lonnie ‘Guitar Junior’ Brooks. Raised in Mississippi, he moved with his family to Chicago, Illinois in 1955. In the 1960s, he played in Magic Sam’s band before joining Muddy Waters in 1972 (and performing with him until 1980). Luther Johnson’s first album was Ma Bea’s Rock, a 1975 collaboration with Jimmy Johnson. His first official solo album, Luther’s Blues, was released in 1977 and was followed by 1979’s I Changed. In 1980, Luther formed the supergroup The Legendary Blues Band, who performed with John Lee Hooker in the hit film The Blues Brothers. Luther Johnson relocated to the East Coast and formed his own group, The Magic Rockers, and recorded the albums Doin' the Sugar Too (1984), I Want to Groove with You (1990) , Slammin' on the West Side (1996) and Got to Find a Way (1998). In 1985, he won a Grammy Award for his version of the classic "Walkin' the Dog", recorded with The New Hawks during the Montreux Jazz Festival, which was included on the compilation album Blues Explosion (1984). Luther Johnson also worked with other musicians on the albums It's Good to Me (1992) and Country Sugar Papa (1994). He continued to release albums including Live at the Rynborn (1999), Talkin' About Soul (2001) and Won't Be Back No More (2020). Luther ‘Guitar Junior’ Johnson died on December 25, 2022, at the age of 83.

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