The Inconvenient Lonnie Johnson: Blues, Race, Identity

Lonnie Johnson is a blues legend. His virtuosity on the blues guitar is second to none, and his influence on artists from T—Bone Walker and B. B. King to Eric Clapton is well established. Yet Johnson mastered multiple instruments. He recorded with jazz icons such as Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong, and he played vaudeville music, ballads, and popular songs.

In this book, Julia Simon takes a closer look at Johnson’s musical legacy. Considering the full body of his work, Simon presents deta...