Tommy Johnson
Tommy Johnson (January 1896 – November 1, 1956) was an American Delta blues musician who recorded in the late 1920s and was known for his eerie falsetto voice and intricate guitar playing. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Terry (town in Hinds County, Mississippi, United States), Died November 1, 1956 (Crystal Springs (human settlement in Copiah County, Mississippi, United States of America) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1924 - 1940
Roles Represented in DAHR: guitar, vocalist, composer, lyricist, songwriter
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | BVE-41836 | 10-in. | 2/3/1928 | Cool drink of water blues | Tommy Johnson | Male vocal solo, with 2 guitars | instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist, composer, lyricist | |
| Victor | BVE-41837 | 10-in. | 2/3/1928 | Big road blues | Tommy Johnson | Male vocal solo, with 2 guitars | instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist, composer, lyricist | |
| Victor | BVE-41838 | 10-in. | 2/4/1928 | Bye bye blues | Tommy Johnson | Male vocal solo, with 2 guitars | instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist, composer, lyricist | |
| Victor | BVE-41839 | 10-in. | 2/4/1928 | Maggie Campbell blues | Tommy Johnson | Male vocal solo, with 2 guitars | instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist, composer, lyricist | |
| Victor | BVE-45462 | 10-in. | 8/31/1928 | Canned heat blues | Tommy Johnson | Male vocal solo, with guitar (self-accompaniment) | instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist, composer | |
| Victor | BVE-45463 | 10-in. | 8/31/1928 | Lonesome home blues | Tommy Johnson | Male vocal solo, with guitar (self-accompaniment) | instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist, composer | |
| Victor | BVE-45464 | 10-in. | 8/31/1928 | Louisiana blues | Tommy Johnson | Male vocal solo, with guitar (self-accompaniment) | instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist, composer | |
| Victor | BVE-45465 | 10-in. | 8/31/1928 | Big fat mamma blues | Tommy Johnson | Male vocal solo, with guitar (self-accompaniment) | instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist, composer | |
| OKeh | S-72833 | 10-in. | 9/16/1924 | I got the crying blues | Sara Martin | Female vocal solo, with instrumental trio | songwriter | |
| OKeh | S-72834 | 10-in. | 9/19/1924 | I ain't got no man | Sara Martin | Female vocal solo, with instrumental trio | songwriter | |
| OKeh | S-72835 | 10-in. | 9/22/1924 | Blues, please go away | Sara Martin | Female vocal solo, with instrumental trio | songwriter | |
| OKeh | S-72836 | 10-in. | 9/22/1924 | Come back, daddy, and ease my aching heart | Sara Martin | Female vocal solo, with instrumental trio | songwriter |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Johnson, Tommy," accessed December 24, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/105594.
Johnson, Tommy. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 24, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/105594.
"Johnson, Tommy." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 24 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Tommy Johnson
Discogs: Tommy Johnson
Allmusic: Tommy Johnson
Britannica: Tommy Johnson
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Johnson, Tommy, approximately 1896-1956 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n87148317
Wikidata: Tommy Johnson - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q965179
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/27257077
MusicBrainz: Tommy Johnson - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/b86d8c69-c57e-4b15-9ba5-9e7c62779271
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/211480 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/211480
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
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