A Chat about Howlin' Wolf's Guitar Genius Willie Johnson

Howlin Wolf's Sun recordings feature guitarist Willie Johnson playing jazzy chords and jabbing leads with a distorted, roaring tone and nearly frantic aggression, matching the Wolf's raw voice and huge presence.  Willie Johnson's style may have began in the Delta but it aspired towards the more urbane guitar stylings of Johnny Moore, T Bone Walker and Pee Wee Crayton, with unique and unforgettable results. I listened to a 92 song youtube playlist of songs Willie Johnson recorded backing Wolf as well as other singers such as Willie Nix, Sonny Lewis and Earring George. I realized that while Johnson has a consistent style throughout, he never repeats himself and like Earl Hooker or Jody Williams, finds endless creative variations within his style. Bearing that in mind, this lesson's less of a "licks" lesson and more a discussion of the elements of his style: the swing chords, the jabbing leads, his sustained tone and his phrasing.   Have fun checking out this singular guitarist. Thanks to Dave Waldman and Illinois Slim for some anecdotes and insights into WJ's style and for Don Deering for compiling that amazing 92 song playlist!

I'll be posting a lesson on the blues greats once a week which will always be free. Small donations are gratefully accepted via paypal at rjohnnyband@gmail.com or venmo at Johnny-Burgin-1 and THANK YOU! PM me at rjohnnyband@gmail.com for private skype, zoom, or googlemeet lessons to build your confidence as a player, become better at improvising, and grow your blues vocabulary. If you dig this kind of music, connect at my website at www.johnnyburgin.com and follow on instagram at @johnnyburgin, twitter at @burginjohnny and https://johnnyburgin.bandcamp.com/​ on Bandcamp and on Spotify. Please share, comment -- stay safe and thanks! Thanks to Chicago Blues Network for sharing this video on their youtube channel. Chicago Blues Network is a great place to learn how to play blues and I'm proud to be on their faculty.

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