Performer Notes

Personnel includes: Jimmy Johnson, (vocals, guitar); Bob Riedy (piano).
Recorded March 29, 1977. Includes liner notes by Jim O'Neal.
This is part of the Ralph Bass series.
Personnel: Bob Riedy (piano); Jon Hiller (drums).
Recording information: P.S. Studios, Chicago, IL (03/29/1977).
Photographer: Marc PoKempner.
It's always sad when, for whatever reason, a worthwhile recording goes unreleased for a long time -- and that's exactly what happened with Pepper's Hangout. On March 29, 1977, a 48-year-old Jimmy Johnson entered a Chicago studio and recorded what was meant to be his first studio LP as a leader. The LP had a working title of "Chicago Roots," and Living Blues editor Jim O'Neal was hired to write the liner notes. But regrettably, an album that should have come out in 1977 wasn't released in the U.S. until 2000, when Delmark was finally able to release the session as Pepper's Hangout. Better late than never -- this CD finds Johnson in fine form and makes one wish that the singer/guitarist hadn't waited until his late 40s to record some albums. Though Johnson includes one soul number (Eddie Jones' "The Things I Used to Do"), this is a blues disc first and foremost -- and Johnson is as passionate and confident on Robert Higginbotham's "High Heel Sneakers" and Tony Hollins' "Married Woman Blues" as he is on original material like "Looking for My Baby" (which inspires comparison to Buddy Guy's "Hello, San Francisco") and the instrumental "Pepper's Hangout." Delmark, to its credit, provides two sets of liner notes: O'Neal's original notes from 1977 and some new ones that he wrote 23 years later in October 2000. Without question, the release of this session in the U.S. was long overdue. ~ Alex Henderson

Professional Reviews

JazzTimes (3/01, p.121) - "...Blends spine-tingling, high-register vocals and stunning, economical guitar licks..."

Fishpond works with suppliers all over the world to bring you a huge selection of products, really great prices, and delivery included on over 25 million products that we sell. We do our best every day to make Fishpond an awesome place for customers to shop and get what they want — all at the best prices online.

About Fishpond

You can earn a 8% commission by selling Pepper's Hangout on your website. It's easy to get started - we will give you example code. After you're set-up, your website can earn you money while you work, play or even sleep! You should start right now!

Are you the Author or Publisher of a book? Or the manufacturer of one of the millions of products that we sell. You can improve sales and grow your revenue by submitting additional information on this title. The better the information we have about a product, the more we will sell!

Submit Information