(Henry 'Rufe' Johnson)
(5CD)
Johnson was born in the small settlement of Bogansville, near to
the towns of Union and Jonesville, South Carolina. His elder
brother, Roosevelt, taught Johnson the rudiments of guitar playing,
and he was further instructed by his cousin Thelmon Johnson. His
childhood nickname, 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, but his family's record collection
also exposed him to secular music, such as that of Blind Lemon
Jefferson, Blind Blake and later Blind Boy Fuller.
He also got the opportunity to play alongside several white
musicians. He expanded his repertoire in 1933, when he taught
himself to play the piano, and he played at a local church for
several years. Johnson performed with two vocal groups, the West
Spring Friendly Four and the Silver Star Quartet, which were
broadcast on the radio stations WPSA and WBSU, respectively.
In 1952, he moved from working on a farm to a hospital job, while
also making a gradual transition to playing more secular material,
on a part-time basis. Discovered by blues historians, Johnson
started to give solo concerts, performed on the radio, and joined up
musically with his childhood friend Peg Leg Sam.
Following recording sessions in November and December 1972, his
album The Union County Flash! was issued by Trix Records in 1973. He
also provided guitar and vocals, along with Baby Tate, for a couple
of tracks on Peg Leg Sam's album Medicine Show Man, released in the
same year.
Johnson died of kidney failure in Union, South Carolina, on
February 4, 1974, age 65. (Wikipedia)