Leslie Johnson (June 20, 1933 – August 22, 2018), better known as Lazy Lester, was an American blues singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist whose career spanned the 1950s to 2018.
Best known for regional hits recorded with Ernie Young's Nashville-based Excello Records, Lester also contributed to songs recorded by other Excello artists, including Slim Harpo, Lightnin' Slim, and Katie Webster. Cover versions of his songs have been recorded by (among others) the Kinks, the Flamin' Groovies,
Freddy Fender, Dwight Yoakam, Dave Edmunds, Raful Neal, Anson Funderburgh, and the Fabulous Thunderbirds.
Leslie Johnson was born into a farming family in Torras, Louisiana and was raised in Baton Rouge. He started playing his brothers guitar around age 11. He worked as a gas station attendant, woodcutter and at a grocery store, where he purchased a harmonica and Little Walter’s famous record, “Juke.” Lester began performing in his teens around Baton Rouge with Raful Neal, later cofounding the Rhythm Rockers. In the mid-1950s, Lester was on the margins of the Louisiana blues scene. According to Rolling Stone (February 23, 2006), Buddy Guy had played in Louisiana with Lightnin' Hopkins, Lazy Lesterand and Slim Harpo. When Guy left for Chicago, in 1957, Lester replaced him, on guitar, in a local band—even though Lester, at the time, did not own one.
Lester's career took off when he found a seat next to Lightnin' Slim on a bus transporting Slim to an Excello recording session. At the studio, the scheduled harmonica player did not appear. Slim and Lester spent the afternoon unsuccessfully trying to find him, when Lester volunteered that he could play the harmonica. Lester's work on that first Lightnin' Slim session led the producer, Jay Miller, to record Lester as solo artist and also to use him as a multi-instrumentalist on percussion, guitar, bass, and harmonica in sessions headlined by other artists produced by Miller, including, notably, Slim Harpo. "Percussion" on these sessions went beyond the traditional drum kit and included a rolled-up newspaper striking a cardboard box. Miller dubbed Lester "Lazy Lester" because of his laconic, laid-back style.
More than his vocal delivery, Lester is best remembered for songs that were later covered by a wide range of rock, country, blues, and Tex-Mex stars, chiefly, "I'm a Lover Not a Fighter,""I
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Hear You Knockin'," and "Sugar Coated Love." Lester stated that he wrote these songs, but almost all are credited to Miller or to Lester and Miller. Lester also stated he received few royalties, which
embittered him and made him sceptical of the music industry.
By the late 1960s, he had given up on the music industry, working manual labour and pursuing his favourite hobby—fishing. Lester moved to Pontiac, Michigan, living with Slim Harpo's sister and .not paying much attention to his musical career.
embittered him and made him sceptical of the music industry.
By the late 1960s, he had given up on the music industry, working manual labour and pursuing his favourite hobby—fishing. Lester moved to Pontiac, Michigan, living with Slim Harpo's sister and .not paying much attention to his musical career.
In 1971, Fred Reif set up a Lightnin' Slim concert at the University of Chicago Folk Festival, and Lester was brought up from Louisiana to accompany him. A few weeks after that performance, Lester was back in Louisiana. Years later Reif and Lester were
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both in Michigan, from where Reif orchestrated a comeback. In the 1980’s Lester recorded new albums backed by Mike Buck, Sue Foley, Gene Taylor, Kenny Neal, Lucky Peterson, and Jimmie Vaughan. Lester also recorded and played around the United States and abroad, backed by blues bands, including, frequently, Loaded Dice.
Lester's recordings in this period were on blues labels Alligator and Telarc, alongside releases in Europe. Lester was inducted into the Louisiana Blues Hall of Fame in 1998. In September 2002, he was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Boston Blues Society. He was inducted into the Blues Hall Of Fame in 2012.
Lester lived in Paradise, California, with his girlfriend, Pike Kaksonen. He appeared in the 2015 documentary film I Am the Blues. He continued to perform nationally and abroad into 2018, often returning to Louisiana where he regularly shared the stage with Lil' Buck Sinegal, Carol Fran, and Kenny Neal. Lester appeared and performed in a television commercial aired nationally for Geico Insurance in 2018. It was during that year Lester started to suffer from stomach cancer and had requested privacy during the last few months of his illness in the hope that he could recover.
He died at his home in Paradise, California, on August 22, 2018, at the age of 85.
(Edited from Wikipedia & Blues Hall Of Fame)
Here’s a clip of Lazy Lester singing "Im a Lover Not a Fighter ' at Antone's Record Shop 2011.Video by Patrick Mcgarrigle