Johnnie B. Marshall Jr. (born June 2, 1961) is an American

electric blues Electric blues is blues music distinguished by the use of electric amplification for musical instruments. The guitar was the first instrument to be popularly amplified and used by early pioneers T-Bone Walker in the late 1930s and John Lee Ho ...

guitarist, songwriter, and singer. His best known songs are "Found Another Woman" and "98 Cents in the Bank". Discovered by Johnny Rawls in the mid 1990s, Marshall has released three albums and continues as a live performer to the present day.

Life and career

Marshall was born in Whigham,

Grady County, Georgia Grady County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,236. The county seat is Cairo. History Grady County was created by an act of the Georgia General Assembly on August 17, 1905, from p ...

, United States. He sang in a

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

choir as a child, and later learned to play the drums to back another gospel group. Marshall soon became more interested in the electric guitar, and had lessons to assist him in playing the instrument. He became proficient enough to form his first band, the Blues Ignitors. However, he needed to find full-time employment working in a meat packing factory, to support his own growing family. In his spare time, Marshall regularly attended his local

juke joint Juke joint (also jukejoint, jook house, jook, or juke) is the African-American vernacular term for an informal establishment featuring music, dancing, gambling, and drinking, primarily operated by African Americans in the southeastern United St ...

, Dave's CC Club, in

Tallahassee, Florida Tallahassee ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of and the only incorporated municipality in Leon County, Florida, Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Fl ...

, where he studied the musicians who performed there. In addition, Marshall performed there himself and one night was spotted by another musician on the bill, Johnny Rawls. In the late 1990s, Rawls helped to develop Marshall's burgeoning career. This led to Rawls playing rhythm guitar, supplying some vocals and producing Marshall's debut album. ''Live for Today'' was released by

JSP Records JSP Records is a British record label, founded in 1978 by John Stedman (John Stedman Promotions), releasing recordings by blues musicians such as Professor Longhair, Buddy Guy, Jimmy Witherspoon, Louisiana Red, Deitra Farr, Charlie Sayles, ...

in 1998. The album was well received, with

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

noting that "As debuts go, this is more impressive than most." Special guests on the recording included

Eddie Kirkland Eddie Kirkland (August 16, 1923 – February 27, 2011) was an American electric blues guitarist, harmonicist, singer, and songwriter. Kirkland, known as the "Gypsy of the Blues" for his rigorous touring schedules, played and toured with John ...

Sonny Rhodes Clarence Smith (born Clarence Edward Mauldin; November 3, 1940 – December 14, 2021), known as Sonny Rhodes, was an American blues singer and lap steel guitar player. He recorded over two hundred songs. "I'm what you call a self-proclaimed Dis ...

, Slam Allen, and George Boone. The album contained eleven tracks, all of them original songs, and Marshall either wrote, or co-penned, eight sides. These included "Dave's C.C. Groove", written as a homage to his humble beginnings in his old club. Marshall went on tour to support the album's release, performing across the United States and with a few dates in Europe. On his follow-up release the next year, ''With All My Might'', Marshall included a cover of the Bruce Feiner penned song "Brother Dave C.", with thanks specifically to his former club's owner. By 2000, Marshall and his live band performed a repertoire that had a number of

blues standards Blues standards are blues songs that have attained a high level of recognition due to having been widely performed and recorded. They represent the best known and most interpreted blues songs that are seen as standing the test of time. Blues s ...

that included "

Five Long Years "Five Long Years" is a song written and recorded by blues vocalist and pianist Eddie Boyd in 1952. Called one of the "few postwar blues standards hat hasretained universal appeal", Boyd's "Five Long Years" reached number one on the '' Billbo ...

," "

Hoochie Coochie Man "Hoochie Coochie Man" (originally titled "I'm Your Hoochie Cooche Man") is a blues standard written by Willie Dixon and first recorded by Muddy Waters in 1954. The song makes reference to hoodoo folk magic elements and makes novel use of a sto ...

," "

Call It Stormy Monday (But Tuesday Is Just as Bad) "Call It Stormy Monday (But Tuesday Is Just as Bad)" (commonly referred to as "Stormy Monday") is a song written and recorded by American blues electric guitar pioneer T-Bone Walker. It is a slow twelve-bar blues performed in the West Coast bl ...

" and "

Don't Start Me Talkin' "Don't Start Me Talkin'" (also called "Don't Start Me to Talkin'") is a blues song written and performed by Sonny Boy Williamson II. It was Williamson's first single recorded for Checker Records, and reached number three in the US ''Billboard'' ...

." Marshall's third album, ''98 Cents in the Bank'' (2001), was also issued by JSP Records, and included one of his best known songs as the title track. In 2009, Marshall worked alongside

Sam Lay Samuel Julian Lay (March 20, 1935January 29, 2022) was an American drummer and vocalist who performed from the late 1950s as a blues and R&B musician alongside Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf, Paul Butterfield, and many others. He was inducted int ...

. The Johnnie Marshall Blues Band performed on July 4, 2015, at the Bradfordville Blues Club, Tallahassee, Florida, and were scheduled to appear there again on New Year's Eve in 2017. The Johnnie Marshall Blues Band also appeared in September 2016, at the inaugural Florida Jazz & Blues Festival in Cascades Park (Tallahassee).

Family life

Marshall is married and has three children.

Confusion

He is not to be confused with the similarly named

contemporary R&B Contemporary R&B (or simply R&B) is a popular music Music genre, genre, originating from African Americans, African-American musicians in the 1980s that combines rhythm and blues with elements of Pop music, pop, Soul music, soul, funk, Hip-hop, ...

singer, who released the album, ''When the Smoke Clears'' (2010).

Discography

References

External links