Lonnie Johnson pioneered the single-string solo guitar styles that we are accustomed to hearing today in rock, blues and jazz music. He played with blues and jazz greats including Texas Alexander, Duke Ellingon, Louie Armstrong and Bessie Smith, and used the guitar as a solo instrument in jazz bands years before Charlie Christian. His recorded blues and jazz solos, including his famous duets with the early jazz guitarist Eddie Lang, are exemplary both for their incredibly beautiful guitar tone and for their sheer, jaw-dropping virtuosity. His To Do This You Got To Know How remains one of the most amazing guitar solos ever recorded.