The singer and guitarist Jimmy Johnson, who has died aged 93, was one of the wonders – if sometimes half-hidden – of the blues world, both for his elegant, passionate singing and for his clean-cut, inventive guitar playing. In the 1960s and 70s he established himself in the clubs of Chicago, one of the generation of musicians such as Magic Sam, Otis Rush and Freddie King who would reshape the blues for a new world and new audiences.
He maintained a distinguished position in that milieu for more than 60 years, and was described by Bruce Iglauer, founder of Alligator Records, which released some of his material, as “a searing guitar player and intense, distinctive singer whose music had the deep emotional impact of the best blues”.
