Bo Johnson was once referred to by the great Tommy Johnson after he was mistaken as his kin during his earlier days as a traveling musician.
We only know this through recollections found at Chicago’s Blues Hall of Fame archives discovery only 5 years ago but still yet to be catalogued.
Of course it was invaluable to this study.
In these recorded interviews with Tommy Johnson’s cousin Myran Johnson it was stated that Tommy Johnson often talked disparagingly of Blind deaf smelly Bo.
Myran: Tommy call him (Bo Johnson) Smelly Bo ‘cause he stink the place up, but that didn’t stop Tommy making use of him as a mule.
Archives: A mule?
Myram: You know, use him to benefit himself. Tommy say that Smelly Bo sound like he could play two guitars at once. One he play badly, the other like he was crushing it under his boots.
Tommy use to have Bo play before him so people would be so happy to hear someone who could actually play and entertain that it made Tommy look like a Hollywood movie star. The only thing that was on the down side was Tommy had to burn ol’ Smelly Bo’s stool he sit on before he play.
Archives: Was he really that bad?
Myran: ‘Parently so, they say he was also deaf ,cause of the way he play but Tommy sez that was just an excuse so people feel sorry for him and’ let him play.
‘Nother thing Tommy sez about Bo was that he stunk because he was always lickin’ wallpaper paste goo. He use to have a little jar everywhere he go. I always remember that ‘cause Tommy sez it was strange ‘cause Bo looked old and beaten , a lot older than his years but just before Tommy turned 60 he said he sawz Bo and he look zackly the same as he did back then and he still have that little jar of paste goo.
Robert Johnson
