The Highlander

Issue date: 11/24/08 Section: Arts and Culture

Blind Willie Johnson: Into Outer Space

On September 5, 1977, NASA launched the space probe Voyager I. Included within it was the Voyager Golden Record, a phonograph record containing greetings in 55 different languages, a variety of natural sounds and several songs of historical weight and significance. Among these songs was "Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground," a piece by the legendary blues-gospel guitarist "Blind" Willie Johnson which musician Ry Cooder has called "the most soulful, transcendent piece in all American music."

"Blind" Willie Johnson was born near Brenham, Texas, in 1897. As a child, Johnson hoped to become a preacher at an early age. Not initially born blind, it is believed that Johnson became as such when his stepmother accidentally threw a handful of the chemical lye, originally intended for her husband, into his eyes.

Originally married, it is believed, to Willie B. Harris, with whose voice accompaniment much of his songs were recorded, Johnson was later remarried to Angeline Johnson, with whom he later played the guitar to her singing.

For years Johnson preached and played on the streets, impoverished throughout much of his life as he continued to live, preach and play in the Deep South. As a youth he performed on street corners for money, and at the behest of his father, is even rumored to have been arrested for starting a New Orleans riot in response to a song he had played.

Known for his mastery of the slide guitar and accepted as one of the greatest slide guitarists ever, Johnson has influenced such legends as Bob Dylan, The 77s and Led Zeppelin, each of which covered Johnson's songs. One of his most famous pieces, "John the Revelator," has been rerecorded by a number of groups, including The White Stripes and contemporary blues guitarist Taj Mahal on the Blues Brothers 2000 soundtrack. His slide guitar work remains a model for blues and rock guitarists.

Johnson recorded 30 songs between 1927 and 1930, most of which contained religious lyrics. Each song, including "Motherless Children Have a Hard Time," "Lord I Just Can't Keep From Crying" and "Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burning," has its own distinctive tone and style. It is this music and style which has transformed Johnson into one of the most respected blues/gospel musicians of the Great Depression.

Tragically, Johnson's home was burned down in 1945. Unable to live elsewhere, he continued to reside in the ruins of his old house. Two weeks later, overcome with pneumonia, "Blind" Willie Johnson passed away. His music, however, has not suffered a similar fate.

On December 16, 2004, Voyager I left our solar system, carrying with it the eternal music of "Blind" Willie Johnson.



Robert Johnson: Deal with the Devil

On a dark night around 1930, Robert Johnson (no relation to Blind Willie), consumed with a burning desire to become the greatest blues musician known to man, made his way to the crossroads. There, legend has it, he met with the devil himself, who presented Johnson with a striking offer: Should you agree to give me your soul, I will grant you mastery of the guitar in return and transform you into the greatest of all blues musicians.

And so says the legend, faced with this tempting proposition, Johnson agreed, and within ten years he rose to become the king of all Delta blues players-the best that anyone had ever heard.

Robert Johnson was born Robert Spencer in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, in May of 1911. Johnson was raised and went on to learn the blues guitar in the state throughout the 1920s. His musical style is of the Delta blues tradition that developed along the Mississippi River and is one of several different styles of blues that have evolved overtime.

In the early 1930s, Robert Johnson reportedly disappeared and returned sometime after a far better guitarist than ever before, recording no less than 29 songs in Texas between 1936 and 1937. The crossroads legend stems in large part from his disappearance and reappearance as an impressively skilled, unmatched guitarist.

Inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, Johnson is known to many as the "Grandfather of Rock 'n' Roll." He was a notable early influence on such rock legends as Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix, who have each recorded their own versions of Johnson's songs.

Eric Clapton, perhaps known more for his Johnson inspirations than any other major rock musician, has in fact cut two albums with Johnson songs, Me and Mr. Johnson and Sessions for Robert J. In 1994, Clapton told Guitar Legends magazine that Johnson "is the most important influence I've had in my life and always will be, I think."

Robert Johnson is perhaps best known for his song "Sweet Home Chicago," which was made famous in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers.

His song "Cross Road Blues" has been covered by such rock groups as Cream, Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Doors. "Hellhound on My Trail," "Love in Vain," "Walkin' Blues" and "They're Red Hot" are other Johnson songs engrained in our culture, each cut in the late 1930s.

And that is when they stopped.

On the night of August 16, 1938, Robert Johnson died at a country crossroads in the town of Greenwood, Mississippi, where he had been playing at a local country dance. He was just 27 years old.

Some allege that he was poisoned, but further investigation into his death has rendered it inconclusive.

And so perhaps it was not poison after all, but rather the devil himself collecting on his debt.

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