Dig Deeper is honored to present Atlanta soul and blues legend Roy Lee Johnson in his first NYC show since the 1970s, backed by the Brooklyn Rhythm Band!
Ever since age 7 or 8, Roy Lee Johnson has known what he’s wanted to do – play guitar – since hearing two guys with acoustics playing in his hometown of Centralhatchee.
Roy Lee played in a few of bands in around clubs in Georgia (and for a short time in Dayton, OH), but it wasn’t until a 1961 recording session with Piano Red as “Dr. Feelgood & the Interns” when he had what would ultimately lead to his biggest break cutting a tune he had written in high school, “Mr. Moonlight.”
Three years later, a little group from the UK called The Beatles cut a version of “Mr. Moonlight” on their “Beatles for Sale” album, which thankfully worked out quite nicely for Roy Lee in the songwriter credits department.
In the interim, Roy Lee recorded and released a number of other solo records – both uptempo cuts like “Black pepper will make you sneeze” and “Busybody” (which was later re-recorded in frantic garage style by Dig Deeper favorites the Jolly Green Giants) as well as aching deep soul numbers like “Nobody does something for nothing” and “Too many tears”.
Roy Lee constantly played clubs and frat houses all over the southeast, continuing to record several singles at Fame studios in Muscle Shoals, a full LP for Stax in the early 70s funk era, and he eventually transitioned to blues in the 90s and 00s. For this special NYC show, Roy Lee will be digging deep into his catalog, reconnecting with some of his earlier soul sides which he rarely has the opportunity to perform these days.
Keeping with the Georgia theme, we will be joined by Georgia soul collector and DJ extraordinaire Brian Poust, playing all original soul and funk 45s with residents Mr. Robinson and DJ Honky. Wear your dancing shoes – you will need them!
We heartily recommend the stellar compilation of Roy Lee Johnson’s early work “When a guitar plays the blues” on Bear Family Records. The selections are well-mastered, the bio of Roy Lee is extensive, and in addition to collecting his releases, they include excellent unreleased material. Amazon link = http://amzn.com/B001U5Q1OI