Johnny Shines,
Image: Jas Obercht
*Johnny Shines was born on this date in 1915. He was a Black blues musician.
Shines was from Frayser, Tennessee, one of the last of the original Delta blues-men who had traveled and performed with Robert Johnson and whose style largely remained untouched by more modern blues sounds.
Over the years, Shines was repeatedly asked to tell Johnson stories, play Johnson songs, and work out on guitar, which only Johnson himself could play. Somewhat reluctantly, he became one of the carriers of the Johnson legacy, often having his contributions to country blues overlooked in the process.
Shines was forced to cut down on his touring after he suffered a stroke in 1980 and reduced dexterity of his fingers caused him to concentrate more on slide guitar. Johnny Shines died on April 20, 1992, the same year he was inducted into the Blues Foundation's Hall of Fame.
Nothing But the Blues The Music and the Musicians
Edited by Lawrence Cohn
Copyright 1993 Abbeville Publishing Group, New York
ISBN 1-55859-271-7
