L.V. Johnson (December 25, 1946 – November 22, 1994) was an American Chicago blues and soul-blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is best known for his renditions of "Don't Cha Mess With My Money, My Honey Or My Woman" and "Recipe". He worked with The Soul Children, The Bar-Kays and Johnnie Taylor, plus his self penned songs were recorded by Tyrone Davis, Bobby Bland and The Dells. He was the nephew of Elmore James.

Biography

Johnson was born in Chicago, Illinois, and learned his guitar playing from B.B. King.

Johnson was originally a session musician employed by Stax Records, and he played on recordings by The Bar-Kays, Johnnie Taylor, and The Soul Children. His songs "Are You Serious" and "True Love Is Hard to Find" were both hit singles for Tyrone Davis, while "Country Love" was recorded by Bobby Bland. The Dells reached the US Billboard charts with their version of Johnson's "Give Your Baby a Standing Ovation".

Johnson's association with Tyrone Davis extended to him being Davis' accompanist, until Johnson embarked on a modest solo career in the early 1980s. He then recorded for ICA, Phono, and Ichiban Records, although his style did not garner much commercial success. Up to his early death from undisclosed causes, Johnson was also the part-owner of a steakhouse and nightclub in Chicago.

L.V. Johnson died in Chicago in November 1994, at the age of 47.

Johnson's track "I Don't Really Care" was sampled by J. Dilla in 2006, and appeared on the track "Airworks" on Dilla's album, Donuts. The same track was sampled by Strong Arm Steady in 2010, and featured on the track "Chittlins & Pepsi" (featuring Planet Asia), on Strong Arm Steady's album, In Search of Stoney Jackson.