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Name:    Johnson, Lonnie
Profession:  Entertainer
Category:  African-American Experience
Description:    Lonnie Johnson has been called by historian William Barlow the most influential musician in St. Louis blues circles during the 1920s. He was a gifted composer and an accomplished and versatile musician and was a central figure in the development of urban blues.

Johnson began performing on a St. Louis riverboat in 1920 and later played in honkytonks across the river in East St. Louis. He recorded more than 100 records between the mid-1920s and the early 1930s. He also accompanied jazz legends Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington on recordings. Johnson left St. Louis in the late 1920s and eventually settled in Chicago.



Reference
Missouris Black Heritage
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