However, the teenage Johnson learned to play the instrument largely by trying to copy the guitar work he heard at home, from listening to gramophone records.
[5] In the late 1950s, Johnson started performing in Atlanta, with a trio named The Famous Rockers, playing a mixture of R&B, rock and roll and soul music to mirror the chart hits of the day.
[4] He moved on to performing in various pickup groups, which led him to have the opportunity to back several touring acts including Johnny Winter.
By the time that Atlanta's noted blues club, Blind Willie's, opened in 1986, Johnson was a solo act.
Jimmy Reed's influence was noticeable throughout the collection, which included Johnson's versions of "What'd I Say," "Rock Me Baby", and "Pretty Thing."
[7] As Johnson appropriated the Houserocker moniker, so his backing ensemble became known as the Shadows, and they combined to become the house band at Blind Willie's.