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 | |||
| Length | 40:08 | |||
| Label | MPCA Records | |||
| Producer | Todd Rundgren | |||
| Todd Rundgren chronology | ||||
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| Alternative Cover | ||||
 2022 Release Artwork | ||||
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
editAll tracks written by Robert Johnson, except where noted
- "Dust My Broom" – 2:45
- "Stop Breakin Down" – 3:52
- "Kindhearted Woman Blues" – 3:08
- "Walking Blues" (Son House) – 3:24
- "Love in Vain" – 3:42
- "Last Fair Deal Gone Down" – 2:53
- "Sweet Home Chicago" – 5:19
- "They're Red Hot" – 2:38
- "Come On in My Kitchen" – 2:58
- "Hellhound on My Trail" – 3:28
- "Traveling Riverside Blues" – 2:58
- "Crossroads Blues" – 3:06
Personnel
edit- Todd Rundgren - all vocals and instruments, producer, engineer, mixing
- Kasim Sulton - bass
References
edit- ^ "Todd Rundgren's Johnson". AllMusic. 2017. Retrieved 2017-04-19.
- ^ "Woody's Truck Stop". AllMusic. 2017. Retrieved 2017-04-19.
- ^ "Exclusive Interview: Todd Rundgren on New Blues Album, Studio History Book and Joe Walsh's Bunny Outfit". 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. 2017. Retrieved 2017-04-19.
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