Richard Leo Johnson and Gregg Bendian - Who Knew Charlie Shoe? (Cuneiform) In the early to mid 2000s Richard Johnson, under the spell of a 75 year old National Duolian Steel guitar - of which he had become the proud owner - set about creating the fictional legend and soundtrack of a man whose name had been etched into the side of the guitar. “The Legend of Vernon McAlister” (“a wandering guitar man for whom the Depression never ended”) was the result. “Who knew Charlie Shoe?” is a continuation of this saga: Charlie Shoe being a disciple of McAlister who believes that every guitar has songs in them and, by fixing them up and tuning them, they can be turned loose. Adopting the persona of Charlie Shoe, Johnson uses eBay purchased cheap guitars and releases their inherent songs. That such a fantastic accompanying myth was fabricated arouses a certain suspicion: was it fabricated in order to mislead, disguise or to give kudos to something substandard? This is certainly not the case. Johnson is a real master at work; his playing being incredibly complex, precise, fast and original and has accurately been compared to John Fahey, Michael Hedges and Bert Jansch. “Who Knew Charlie Shoe?” sees this unique virtuosity combined with experimental twists of found sound (old radio adverts, blackbirds and lonely dogs) and the homemade percussion (lard cans, brooms, stairs and water to name a few) of Gregg Bendian (aka Junk Fish). The 21 tracks range from the compulsive gallop of “Rockasilly” to the junkyard slide-blues of “Jesus on a Tire Swing” to the peaceful dream-filled, “Forgotten Lullaby” (and there’s no filler). “Charlie Shoe” is in no way as trashy and DIY as the concept may suggest, but is a perfect hybrid of American roots and the avant-garde. It would seem that in the right hands it’s not just guitars that have songs in them but just about everything! www.cuneiformrecords.com Willsk Next