Lonnie Johnson Vol 4 1928 - 1929

Lonnie Johnson, vocal, guitar.

Includes:
Victoria Spivey, vocal.
Eddie Lang, guitar.
Spencer Williams, vocal.

With contributions by: Clarence Williams, piano; J.C. Johnson, piano; Joe “King Oliver”, cornet; Hoagy Carmichael, percussion, vocal.

Genres: Blues, Blues Guitar, Jazz Guitar, Country Blues.

From this CDs booklet notes.
In March 1928, Lonnie Johnson was in San Antonio, travelling with Okeh's mobile unit, and supplying accompaniment as needed. Part way through a stint backing Texas Alexander, he took time out to make the lovely ballad I'm So Tired Of Living All Alone, and a few days later he cut a four title session which included the first version of his famous attack on pimps, Crowing Rooster Blues; as so often with Lonnie, this song also includes some jaundiced opinions on women — note his advice on the dangers of buying them silk underwear in quantity. Broken Levee Blues is an unusual song of protest about the means by which the levees along the Mississippi were maintained, a system which a few years later was called "Mississippi Slavery in 1933" by Roy Wilkins of the NAACP.

Lonnie Johnson Vol 5 1929 - 1930

Lonnie Johnson, vocal, guitar.

Includes duets with:
Eddie Lang, guitar.
Spencer Williams, vocal.
Victoria Spivey, vocal.
Clarence Williams, vocal.
With contributions by: J. Johnson, piano.

Genres: Blues, Blues Guitar, Jazz Guitar, Blues Piano.

Informative booklet notes written by Chris Smith.
Detailed discography.

From this CDs booklet notes.
Through 1929, Lonnie Johnson continued to explore three musical fields on record. With Eddie Lang, he pushed at the frontiers of jazz guitar with the tone poem Bull Frog Moan, displays of technique such as Hot Fingers and the yearning, pop-structured Blue Room. At the same time, he was cranking out third and fourth parts to It Feels So Good with Spencer Williams, and in a more adult, but still hokumbased vein, duetting with Victoria Spivey on a composition that much later became a favourite of B. B. King's. Continued...

Lonnie Johnson Vol 6 1930 - 1931

Lonnie Johnson, vocal, guitar.

Includes duets with:
Spencer Williams, vocal.
Clara Smith (as “Violet Green”), vocal.

With contributions by: James P. Johnson, piano; Clarence Williams, washboard, Alex Hill, piano.

Genres: Blues, Blues Guitar, Blues Duets, Blues Piano.

Informative booklet notes by Chris Smith.
Detailed discography.

After the desperation of “Headed For Southland” (see DOCD-5067), the two part I Got The Best Jelly Roll In Town formed a light-hearted interlude in Lonnie Johnson’s 23rd January 1930 session. Featuring some impressive guitar, even by Johnson’s high standards, it’s the first tryout of a song which, as “Jelly Roll Baker”, he was to record again more than once. The singing on this version is remarkable, given the very slow tempo. For the last two titles of the session, Lonnie switched to piano, which he hadn’t played on disc since 1926; by 1930, he had worked out a favourite accompaniment, featuring a staccato, four-to-the-bar chordal bass part, over which are laid darting right hand figures that are clearly inspired by his guitar playing. Continued...

Lonnie Johnson Vol 7 1931 - 1932

Lonnie Johnson, vocal, guitar, piano.

With contributions by Fred Longshaw piano.

Genres: Blues guitar.

Informative booklet notes by Chris Smith.
Detailed discography.

From this CDs booklet notes.
By 1931, record sales were declining catastrophically under the impact of the Depression, but Okeh, who had the Mississippi Sheiks and Bo Carter, actually put out more race records in 1931 than they had in 1930. They also had Lonnie Johnson, whose proven sales potential encouraged them to bring him in for six recording sessions in 1931 and even for four in 1932. Continued...

Too Late Too Late Blues 1926 - 1944
DOCD-5150 Too Late Too Late Blues 1926 - 1944 Alternative takes and rare, late, discoveries. Various. The first Document CD appeared in 1990 with DOCD-5001 “Tommy Johnson”. Three years and 150 releases later the first volume of the “Too Late, Too Late” albums appeared. The unprecedented unleashing of such a fast growing bulk of blues and gospel recordings in such a “completist” fashion inspired both fans of the music and collectors alike. Once that the great river of releases had been flowing for a while collectors began to think again about what might be hidden in the corners of their collections or had until then been regarded of no real significance. In addition there were recent and continue to be, rare finds. A Big Bill Broonzy 78 had just recently been found, having been picked up in a lot that was saved from the street where it had been left for disposal. Then there was the box of Paramount tests that had been found several years ago which were made available. Collectors also began to revisit their records with more attention being paid to the recordings themselves and on many occasions found that takes that appeared on their records were not the takes that had thus far been re-issued.

St Louis 1927 - 1933

St Louis Girls 1927 - 1934

Luella Miller (with Lonnie Johnson) 1926 - 1928

Too Late Too Late Vol 2 1897 - 1935

Too Late Too Late Vol 5 1927 - 1964
DOCD-5411 Too Late, Too Late Vol. 5 (1927 – 1964) Leroy Carr / Big Maceo / Jimmy Blythe / John 'Big Nig' Bray / Cow Cow Davenport / Rev. Lonnie Farris / Scrapper Blackwell / Elizabeth Johnson / Lonnie Johnson / Lead Belly / James 'Jack of All Trades' McCain / Blind Willie McTell / Sister Morgan / Frank Stokes / Montana Taylor / Sonny Terry / Henry Townsend Genres: Country Blues, Pre-War Blues, Acoustic Blues, Acoustic Chicago Blues, Acoustic Memphis Blues, Blues Revival, Harmonica Blues, Blues Guitar, Chicago Blues, East Coast Blues, Field Recordings, Folk Revival, Folk-Blues, Folksongs, Piano Blues, Piedmont Blues, Pre-War Country Blues, Regional Blues, Songster, St. Louis Blues. As is the case with each of the CDs in this series, Vol. 5 of Too Late, Too Late has valuable alternate takes, newly discovered titles, and unissued material. Quite a few major names are represented, with ten of the 24 selections being released for the first time. Continued...