Johnie Lewis

Born in Alabama and raised to adulthood in Georgia, Johnie Lewis nevertheless made Chicago his home after settling there in the 1930s. Working primarily as a painter, he treated music as a sideline, performing as a singer and guitarist in the Southern rural idiom and showing notable command of slide technique even though his abilities remained solid rather than remarkable. A filmmaker preparing a documentary on Chicago blues encountered him during one of his painting assignments and included him in the project. The resulting appearance led Arhoolie to schedule recording sessions with him in the early 1970s.