Interview: Syl Johnson

February 21, 2011



Syl Johnson—one of the most sampled, and until quite recently, the most under-credited blues singer of his time—sat down with our own Mobolaji to talk about the sum of his musical experiences and his well-deserved re-birth with Numero Group. The box set is titled Complete Mythology and features a soulful crescendo of 81 songs along with six LPs of music. Most of it is new to our ears, but a few of the hooks are old favorites—sampled by the likes of Wu Tang, Kid Rock, Michael Jackson…Jimmy Reed, Jimmy Johnson, Jimmy Jones, the list goes on and on. Johnson's not mad at the success of others by way of his own original songs, though. In fact, he seems just happy to finally be getting a little credit where credit is due, even if it's some forty years later.

Posted: February 21, 2011
Interview: Syl Johnson