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
Studio album by
Todd Rundgren
ReleasedApril 12, 2011 (2011-04-12)
GenreBlues
Length40:08
LabelMPCA Records
ProducerTodd Rundgren
Todd Rundgren chronology
Arena
(2008)		 Todd Rundgren's Johnson
(2011)		 (re)Production
(2011)
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

All tracks written by Robert Johnson, except where noted

  1. "Dust My Broom" – 2:45
  2. "Stop Breakin Down" – 3:52
  3. "Kindhearted Woman Blues" – 3:08
  4. "Walking Blues" (Son House) – 3:24
  5. "Love in Vain" – 3:42
  6. "Last Fair Deal Gone Down" – 2:53
  7. "Sweet Home Chicago" – 5:19
  8. "They're Red Hot" – 2:38
  9. "Come On in My Kitchen" – 2:58
  10. "Hellhound on My Trail" – 3:28
  11. "Traveling Riverside Blues" – 2:58
  12. "Crossroads Blues" – 3:06

Personnel
  • Todd Rundgren - all vocals and instruments, producer, engineer, mixing
  • Kasim Sulton - bass

References
  1. "Todd Rundgren's Johnson". AllMusic. 2017. Retrieved 2017-04-19.
  2. "Woody's Truck Stop". AllMusic. 2017. Retrieved 2017-04-19.
  3. "Exclusive Interview: Todd Rundgren on New Blues Album, Studio History Book and Joe Walsh's Bunny Outfit". Ultimateclassicrock.com. 2017. Retrieved 2017-04-19.
  4. "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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