Biography
Guitarist, singer, and songwriter Johnnie Bassett absorbed blues from his earliest years amid the sounds of his native Florida. His distinctive approach fused jump blues with Delta elements to create a singular tone. Though self-taught, he remembered encounters with Tampa Red, Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup, and other classic blues performers at fish fries held in his grandmother’s backyard. He named Aaron "T-Bone" Walker as a primary influence alongside B.B. and Albert King, Tiny Grimes, and Billy Butler.
When his family relocated to Detroit in 1944, Bassett launched his professional career on guitar with Joe Weaver & the Bluenotes, a teenage R&B ensemble. The band captured local talent contests and secured gigs supporting Big Joe Turner, Ruth Brown, and additional touring artists during their Detroit appearances. In 1958 Bassett entered the Army and performed with a country & western unit while stationed in Washington state.
Upon his return to Detroit he worked days as a session guitarist for Fortune Records and nights in local clubs. Studio dates found him backing Nolan Strong & the Diablos, Andre Williams & the Don Juans, and the Five Dollars, and he also contributed guitar to the first recording by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles. Additional trips took him to Chicago for Chess Records sessions. In Detroit he further accompanied John Lee Hooker, Eddie Burns, Alberta Adams, Lowell Fulson, and the T.J. Fowler Band in live settings, as well as Dinah Washington.
During the 1960s Bassett moved to Seattle and supported Tina Turner, Little Willie John, and others; Jimi Hendrix often attended his club performances around the city. Before the decade closed he returned to Detroit, which remained his base for the rest of his life.
In 1994 the Detroit Blues Society presented Bassett with a lifetime achievement award. He subsequently cut the album I Gave My Life to the Blues (1996) for the Dutch Black Magic label. With his band the Blues Insurgents he undertook multiple tours across the United States, Canada, and Europe to promote LPs such as Bassett Hound (1997) and Cadillac Blues (1998). After 2000 he issued two further albums on the Sly Dog imprint of Mack Avenue Records: The Gentleman Is Back (2009) and I Can Make That Happen (2012). Following a battle with cancer, Johnnie Bassett died in August 2012 at the age of 76.
When his family relocated to Detroit in 1944, Bassett launched his professional career on guitar with Joe Weaver & the Bluenotes, a teenage R&B ensemble. The band captured local talent contests and secured gigs supporting Big Joe Turner, Ruth Brown, and additional touring artists during their Detroit appearances. In 1958 Bassett entered the Army and performed with a country & western unit while stationed in Washington state.
Upon his return to Detroit he worked days as a session guitarist for Fortune Records and nights in local clubs. Studio dates found him backing Nolan Strong & the Diablos, Andre Williams & the Don Juans, and the Five Dollars, and he also contributed guitar to the first recording by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles. Additional trips took him to Chicago for Chess Records sessions. In Detroit he further accompanied John Lee Hooker, Eddie Burns, Alberta Adams, Lowell Fulson, and the T.J. Fowler Band in live settings, as well as Dinah Washington.
During the 1960s Bassett moved to Seattle and supported Tina Turner, Little Willie John, and others; Jimi Hendrix often attended his club performances around the city. Before the decade closed he returned to Detroit, which remained his base for the rest of his life.
In 1994 the Detroit Blues Society presented Bassett with a lifetime achievement award. He subsequently cut the album I Gave My Life to the Blues (1996) for the Dutch Black Magic label. With his band the Blues Insurgents he undertook multiple tours across the United States, Canada, and Europe to promote LPs such as Bassett Hound (1997) and Cadillac Blues (1998). After 2000 he issued two further albums on the Sly Dog imprint of Mack Avenue Records: The Gentleman Is Back (2009) and I Can Make That Happen (2012). Following a battle with cancer, Johnnie Bassett died in August 2012 at the age of 76.