.: RoJo!

When I was in high school Robert Johnson, not that Robert Johnson, but RoJo from Memphis was a guitar god. At 17, he played guitar with Isaac Hayes! At 23 he auditioned to replace Mick Taylor of the Rolling Stones, but was too young and too American. Mick Jagger called RoJo "one of the best guitarist in the world, just too straight for us." Everyone in my hometown who owned a guitar had a worn copy of "Close Personal Friend."  Unfortunately for RoJ, I think we were the only ones...

I was thrilled when I heard "Close Personal Friend" was finally going to be re-released. Here is a taste of one of rocks most under-appreciated albums.

Robert Johnson | RoJo! by Pazzesco

*Personnel: Robert Johnson (vocals, guitar); Robert Johnson (vocals, guitar, bass instrument, drum); Dave Cochran (vocals, bass instrument, drums); Blair Cunningham (vocals, drums, drum); Bill Rennie (bass instrument); Barry Johnson, Walter Polk, Willie Hall, Chad Cromwell (drum); Hot Buttered Soul (background vocals).

The re-release is already a modest hit in Europe where Johnson, thanks to his '70s work with Ox, a cult favorite fronted by the Who's late bass player John Entwistle, has always enjoyed a larger following. One British newspaper recently called the album "70's rock at its best." The online music guide allmusic.com says of the record, "if any album of that era demands rediscovery, this is it."