Fabrizio del Wrongo writes:
Lonnie Johnson
T-Bone Walker
Blind Willie McTell
Son House
I could name others.
Don’t get me wrong — Johnson is great. Still, I think music writers have gone a little overboard in praising him. Many seem to love all that devil-at-the-crossroads silliness more than they do the music.
Some disc/download recommendations:
- Johnson: “Steppin’ the Blues” and “Blues and Ballads.”
- Walker: “The Complete Imperial Recordings” and “The Very Best of T-Bone Walker.”
- McTell: “The Definitive Blind Willie McTell.”
- House: “Delta Blues.”
Blowhard, Esq.
Callowman
Sherbrooke
Eddie Pensier
Enzo Nakamura
Epaminondas
Fabrizio del Wrongo
Fenster
Brundle Guy
Glynn Marshes
Paleo Retiree
Atypical Neurotic
Question Lady
Sax von Stroheim
Sir Barken Hyena
The Mistaken
Uncouth Reflections 
I think it was Peter Guralnick who argued that white rock critics (especially Greil Marcus) paid way too much attention to RJ’s lyrics, whereas Johnson’s greatness in the eyes of other blues guys was always his guitar playing, with the lyrics being seen as not quite generic, but not exactly the point of listening to him, either.
“Critics paying too much attention to lyrics” might be a nice way to sum up a lot of the problems with post-60s pop culture criticism, in general.
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Yeah, I think there’s a lot of truth in that. Guys who are word-centric are going to make a big deal out of words.
I seem to remember that Dylan also makes a big deal out of Johnson’s lyrics in that memoir he wrote a few years back.
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