Review: Lonnie Johnson’s Blues & Ballads Reissue from Bluesville & Craft — Classic Blues, Audiophile Vinyl, No Frills, All Soul

As summer kicks into high gear and the heat starts turning up overseas (where I’ll be landing in a few days for some badly needed R&R), you might want a sonic escape that’s cooler than the sweat dripping down your back. If you’re anything like me, dodging scorching sunburns and maybe even the occasional night spent sleeping in a bomb shelter in Jerusalem, a little musical relief goes a long way.

Cue the latest audiophile reissues from Bluesville Records and Craft Recordings—perfect distractions from the heatwave and the chaos. These meticulously remastered classics serve up rich, authentic blues that feel like a refreshing breeze, no matter how high the mercury climbs. Because when the world’s on fire, sometimes the best shelter is good music.

Craft Recordings and Bluesville Records have teamed up with Acoustic Sounds to reissue two landmark blues titles, each lovingly remastered by GRAMMY-nominated engineer Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab.

We’ve already taken a close listen to Mississippi John Hurt’s Today!, and now it’s time to turn the spotlight on 1960’s Blues & Ballads by pioneering guitarist Lonnie Johnson. Pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Quality Record Pressings and housed in tip-on jackets complete with obi strips and liner notes by GRAMMY-winning producer Scott Billington, this reissue promises to bring vintage blues into sharp, warm focus for your listening pleasure.

Lonnie Johnson was no one-trick pony. This guy didn’t just dabble in jazz, blues, and R&B—he practically wrote the playbook. Born in New Orleans, he made his mark in St. Louis after winning a blues talent contest and quickly became a go-to guitarist for legends like Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, and Duke Ellington. What really sets Johnson apart? His guitar game. Long before the world was swooning over B.B. King or Django Reinhardt, Johnson was bending strings and playing single-note solos with a pick—a technique that shaped modern jazz, blues, and rock guitar for generations.

By the time 1960 rolled around, Johnson was riding the wave of the folk revival, connecting with a new crowd and signing on with Bluesville Records, a Prestige imprint. His second album there, Blues & Ballads, teams him up with Elmer Snowden—a seasoned bandleader and banjo player who brings some acoustic flavor to the mix.

The trio’s stripped-down setup—Lonnie’s electric guitar and vocals, Snowden’s acoustic guitar, and Wendell Marshall’s bass—delivers a sound that’s intimate, clean, and detailed, pulling you right into the room with them.

You get classic blues tunes like “Back Water Blues” and “St. Louis Blues,” sprinkled with standards and originals that showcase the players’ range. The recording quality is superb—nothing flashy, just raw, expressive performances that soak into your bones. Perfect for zoning out and thinking about, say, ballistic missiles being shot down over Israel while you soak in some genuinely soulful blues.

Grab it for $32.99 on Amazon if you want a listening experience that’s equal parts warmth and grit, with a depth that sneaks up on you.

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