Luther 'Guitar Jr.' Johnson(1939-2022)

Blues guitarist Luther "Guitar Jr." Johnson was born in Itta Bena, MS, in 1939. His family moved to Chicago in 1955, and Luther--who played bass and sang--worked with such blues artists as Tall Milton Shelton. In the early 1960s he gained a following in Chicago's West Side blues clubs, and played for a few years with guitar legend Magic Sam, who became his mentor. Sam's influence helped Johnson's reputation as a guitarist grow, and he eventually joined Muddy Waters' band, playing with them from 1972 to 1980.

He recorded his first album, "Luther's Blues", in 1976 for a French label, Black and Blue Records. In 1980 four of his recordings appeared on a blues compilation CD, "Living Chicago Blues Vol. 4". After leaving Waters' band he formed his own, The Magic Rockers. In 1983 he won a Grammy for his work on the Atlantic Records compilation album "Blues Exploision". In 1982 he moved to Boston and soon became one of the city's most popular blues artists. He has recorded several albums since then and still tours with The Magic Rockers.