Todd Rundgren's Johnson
Todd Rundgren's Johnson is Todd Rundgren's tribute album for blues musician Robert Johnson, released April 12, 2011, for Johnson's 100th birthday.[1] Rundgren started out playing guitar professionally in a blues garage band called Woody's Truck Stop,[2] around 1966, where he was heavily inspired by and performed blues songs by Paul Butterfield Blues Band, the Blues Project, and music by original Chess blues artists and British blues-rock groups like the Yardbirds.
Todd Rundgren's Johnson | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | April 12, 2011 | |||
Genre | Blues | |||
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This album is a testimony to that music, its direct predecessors, and influence, as Rundgren says, "When I first got out of high school, my first gig was in a blues band. I was fascinated with the music and all through high school started exploring recordings by a lot of the originals. Ironically enough, Robert Johnson wasn’t one of the people that I was familiar with. He was from an era of acoustic blues and I was very much into electric blues. But he did have a huge influence on a lot of the people that were influencing me — most particularly Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and that whole crop of English blues guitar players."[3]
Most of the tracks feature Rundgren playing everything but the bass, which he delegated to long-time associate Kasim Sulton.
The album's title is a double entendre, johnson being a euphemism for penis. Rundgren discusses the album in detail with "Ultimate Classic Rock."[4]
Rundgren also released a live version, "Todd Rundgren's Johnson Live," on December 3, 2013.
Track listing
- "Dust My Broom"
- "Stop Breakin Down"
- "Kindhearted Woman Blues"
- "Walking Blues"
- "Love in Vain"
- "Last Fair Deal Gone Down"
- "Sweet Home Chicago"
- "They're Red Hot"
- "Come On in My Kitchen"
- "Hellhound on My Trail"
- "Traveling Riverside Blues"
- "Crossroads Blues"
References
- "Todd Rundgren's Johnson". allmusic.com. allmusic.com. 2017. Retrieved 2017-04-19.
- "Woody's Truck Stop". allmusic.com. allmusic.com. 2017. Retrieved 2017-04-19.
- "Exclusive Interview: Todd Rundgren on New Blues Album, Studio History Book and Joe Walsh's Bunny Outfit". ultimateclassicrock.com. ultimateclassicrock.com. 2017. Retrieved 2017-04-19.
- "Exclusive Interview: Todd Rundgren on New Blues Album, Studio History Book and Joe Walsh's Bunny Outfit". ultimateclassicrock.com. ultimateclassicrock.com. 2017. Retrieved 2017-04-19.