Henry "Rufe" Johnson

Henry "Rufe" Johnson (October 2, 1908 – February 4, 1974), was an American Piedmont blues guitarist, pianist, singer and songwriter. On occasion he performed on the guitar using a bottleneck, and finally found a larger audience through his original 1973 Trix LP, The Union County Flash! His fame was short-lived as he died months after its release.

Johnson was born in the small settlement of Bogansville, near to the towns of Union and Jonesville, South Carolina, United States. His elder brother, Roosevelt, taught Johnson the rudiments of guitar playing, and was further instructed by his cousin Thelmon Johnson. His childhood nickname of "Rufe", which stayed with him throughout his life, was a shortening of Rooster. He learned to play in standard tuning and mainly played gospel songs, although he was exposed to secular music, such as Blind Lemon Jefferson, Blind Blake and later Blind Boy Fuller via his family's record collection. He also got the opportunity to play alongside several white musicians. He expanded his repertoire in 1933, when he self-taught himself the piano, and Johnson played at the local church for several years. Johnson appeared with two vocal groups, the West Spring Friendly Four and the Silver Star Quartet, who both performed on radio at WPSA and WBSU respectively.

In 1952, he transferred from working on a farm to hospital duties, and made a gradual move towards playing more secular material albeit on a part-time basis. Finally discovered by blues historians, Johnson started to give solo concerts, appeared on the radio, and joined up musically with his old childhood friend, Peg Leg Sam.

Following recording sessions in November and December 1972, his own album, The Union County Flash!, was issued on Trix Records in 1973. Released the same year, Johnson supplied both guitar and vocals, as did Baby Tate, to a couple of tracks on Peg Leg Sam's album, Medicine Show Man.

Johnson died of kidney failure in Union, South Carolina, on February 4, 1974, aged 69.

CD albums