New Orleans-born Lonnie Johnson was probably one of the most musically sophisticated blues guitarists. Lonnie set the standard that blues performers strived to match as the 1920s passed into the 1930s. Johnson’s legacy is immense, and not only in the blues field. Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, LaVern Baker, Bob Dylan and countless others have recorded his songs. Lonnie left an indelible mark on modern American music. As happened with other bluesmen of his generation, Lonnie Johnson’s musical activity declined in the 1950s, reducing him to jobs as a cook or a janitor. Blues & Ballads is one of the albums that marked his comeback.