Fiona Long Art

Here are some photos of the unveiling of my official portrait of the late, great blues legend Tommy Johnson. Click on the photo below to see them all.
They show Vera L. Johnson-Collins, Tommy Johnson’s niece seeing the painting in the flesh for the first time, Tommy Johnson’s gravestone, Dr William Woods presenting his lecture on TJ at the Reception, a TV interview in front of the painting and my Dad, Bob Long singing at the Tommy Johnson Memorial Festival.

Tommy Johnson Portrait Unveiling

The unveiling took place as the climax to a Reception at the Regency Hotel in Jackson MS on Fri Oct 20.

It was preceeded by a presentation of slides of photos of the Johnson Family, a lecture about TJ given by Dr William Wood, Chairman of Dept. Of History, Tougaloo College, Tougaloo, MS and one of his students singing a TJ song ( Canned Heat).

After the unveiling, Vera presented the portrait to Dr Woods. It will be hung at the College in the Dept . of History (where the life of TJ is part of the curriculum) for one year. Next October, the portrait will be lent to another public body for a year and this process will be repeated until The TJ Foundation has a Headquartes building, and this will become its permanent home.

It is likely that copies will be exhibited at various Blues Museums, including the Delta Cultural Center in Helena, AR.

Click here for more information on the festival and the reception on my father, Bob Long’s site.