Tommy Johnson

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the English footballer, see Tommy Johnson (footballer)

For the musician, see Tommy Johnson (session musician)

Tommy Johnson (1896 – November 1, 1956) was an influential delta blues musician. He was born in Terry, Mississippi, and lived most of his life in Crystal Springs, Mississippi. Tommy Johnson was known to tell a story about how he had sold his soul to the devil in exchange for his mastery of blues guitar. This story closely resembles the same legend of Robert Johnson. Robert Johnson, however, was never known to tell this story and it was most likely a rumor started by Son House in the 1960s, long after both Johnsons were dead.^{[citation needed]}

A well known song by Tommy Johnson was "Canned Heat Blues".

Johnson was sometimes accompanied by Papa Charlie McCoy. Johnson's "Big Road Blues" inspired Canned Heat's song, "On The Road Again".

1 In fiction
2 Media
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] In fiction

In the 2000 movie O Brother, Where Art Thou? there is a character named Tommy Johnson (played by Chris Thomas King) who sold his soul to the devil to play guitar. He plays accompaniment for the Soggy Bottom Boys (a band consisting of the film's three main protagonists plus Johnson) on "Man of Constant Sorrow".

It is debated whether the character was based on Tommy or Robert Johnson^{[citation needed]}. The character of Tommy Johnson in O Brother, Where Art Thou? is reminiscent of the real Tommy Johnson, who used to talk about how "he sold hisself to the devil" at a crossroads in return for making up songs and playing the guitar. However, Tommy Johnson, born in 1896, would have been approximately 40 years old in year 1937, at which time the movie is set. The character in the movie is much younger than that, suiting better the descriptions of Robert Johnson who was approximately 26 years old at the time. Furthermore, Robert Johnson is described (by whites of the time) as being quiet or shy, resembling Tommy Johnson in the movie who does not speak much. Robert Johnson had also used the legend of a crossroads, 'borrowing' the idea from Tommy Johnson. Even though the character in the movie has the name Tommy, his characteristics can be contributed to both Johnsons.