Browsing: Tommy Johnson

Dockery Farms was designated at the request of the Dockery Farms Foundation, which currently manages the site.

David “Honeyboy” Edwards was the last of the old guard blues players. He was from Shaw, Mississippi. Was inspired to play guitar at age 14 by watching Tommy Johnson—the man who wrote “Big Road Blues” and “Canned Heat”—work his guitar…

In the blues, Jake isn’t just a name! Find out the boozy, interesting, and moonshine-steeped history of the Jake Leg that Tommy Johnson himself even sang about!

Tommy Johnson sang about “Fat Mouth”, but the origins of the word run much, much deeper! Discover the story!

Pronounced “pharaoh,” faro is an old rural Mississippi synonym… discover the meaning behind what Mississippi John Hurt and Tommy Johnson famously sang about!

A delay in accepting a several thousand dollar Buy-It-Now offer results in a bidding war that netted an 825% higher buying price.

During Prohibition, alcoholics who couldn’t get their hands on moonshine resorted to some truly dangerous methods to satisfy their cravings…

The headstone of Mississippi Delta Blues legend Tommy Johnson was desecrated just months after finally being placed on his grave in what appears to be a deliberate act of vandalism — 45 years after he was buried.

This is the first in a new weekly series that focuses on the meaning and significance of a unique word used in blues song. Come back every Wednesday for the latest!