Herman E. Johnson

[1] Johnson's religious background influenced his later guitar styles; he learned to play the instrument, sometimes laying flat on his knees, in 1927 to undo the boredom of several odd jobs, including cotton picking, concrete mixing, and working in a scrap metal yard.

Another major influence Johnson credited was reputable Texas blues musician Blind Lemon Jefferson.

[1] In 1961, while working as a janitor at Southern University, Johnson was recorded in Baton Rouge by folklorist Harry Oster.

[2] Oster’s field recording session with Johnson, along with numerous other blues musicians, were preserved in the Library of Congress.

Cub Koda, in his review of the album, described the pair's sound as "back porch country blues of the highest order".