The only known photograph of Blind Willie Johnson

"Blind" Willie Johnson (1897-1945) was an African-American singer and guitarist whose music straddled the border between blues and spirituals. While the lyrics of all of his songs were religious, his music drew from both sacred and blues traditions. Among musicians, he is considered one of the greatest slide or bottleneck guitarists, as well as one of the most revered figures of depression-era gospel music. His music is distinguished by his powerful bass thumb-picking and gravelly false-bass voice, with occasional use of a tenor voice. Image File history File links Blindwilliejohnson. ... Image File history File links Blindwilliejohnson. ... 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... Languages Predominantly American English Religions Protestantism (chiefly Baptist and Methodist); Roman Catholicism; Islam Related ethnic groups Sub-Saharan Africans and other African groups, some with Native American groups. ... A singer is a musician who uses their voice to produce music. ... the very definition of a guitarist is cody allen and taylor hines because of there un ending guitar skills and awsomnes. ... Blues is a vocal and instrumental musical form which evolved from African American spirituals, shouts, work songs and chants and has its earliest stylistic roots in West Africa. ... A spiritual is a African-American song, usually with a religious text. ... Example of a bottleneck, with fingerpicks and resonator guitar. ... Bottleneck guitar is a variation or relation of slide guitar; instead of a cupping a metal slide in the fretting hand, the strings are fretted with a smooth, hard cylinder worn around a finger of the fretting hand, usually the fourth finger for a compromise between strength and freedom to... For other uses, see Guitar (disambiguation). ... The Great Depression was a dramatic, worldwide economic downturn beginning in some countries as early as 1928. ... For other uses, see Gospel (disambiguation). ...

Life

Blind Willie Johnson was born in 1897 near Brenham, Texas (before the discovery of his death certificate, Temple, Texas had been suggested as his birthplace). When he was five, he told his father he wanted to be a preacher, and then made himself a cigar box guitar. His mother died when he was young and his father remarried soon after her death.^[1] Brenham is a city situated in Central Texas in Washington County, Texas, United States, with a population of 13,507 according to the 2000 census. ... Temple is a city in Bell County, Texas, United States. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

It is thought that Johnson was married twice, first to a woman with the same first name, Willie B Harris, and later to a young singer named Angeline, who was the sister of blues guitarist L.C. Robinson. No marriage certificates have yet been discovered. As Angeline Johnson often sang and performed with him, the first person to attempt to research his biography, Samuel Charters, made the mistake of assuming it was Angeline who had sung on several of Johnson's records. However, later research showed that it was Johnson's first wife. Samuel Charters (born Samuel Barclay Charters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, August 1, 1929; his name also appears as Sam Charters) is an American music historian, writer, record producer, musician, and poet. ...

Johnson was not born blind, and, although it is not known how he lost his sight, Angeline Johnson provided this account to Samuel Charters: She said when Willie was seven his father beat his stepmother after catching her going out with another man. The stepmother then picked up a handful of lye and threw it, not at Willie's father, but into the face of young Willie.^[2] Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or psychological factors. ... Lye is a caustic solution used for glass and soap making. ...

Johnson remained poor until the end of his life, preaching and singing in the streets of Beaumont, Texas to anyone who would listen. A city directory shows that in 1944, a Rev W J Johnson, undoubtedly Blind Willie, operated the House of Prayer at 1440 Forest Street, Beaumont, Texas.^{[citation needed]} In 1945, his home burned to the ground. With nowhere else to go, Johnson lived in the burned ruins of his home, sleeping on a wet bed. He lived like this until he contracted pneumonia two weeks later, and died. (The death certificate reports the cause of death as malarial fever, with syphilis as a contributing factor.) In a later interview his wife said she tried to take him to a hospital but they refused to admit him because he was black. Although there is some dispute as to where his grave site is, members of the Beaumont community have committed to finding the site and preserving it. Location in the state of Texas Coordinates: Counties Jefferson County Government  - Mayor Guy Goodson Area  - City 222. ... Pneumonia is an illness of the lungs and respiratory system in which the alveoli (microscopic air-filled sacs of the lung responsible for absorbing oxygen from the atmosphere) become inflamed and flooded with fluid. ...

Musical career

He quickly picked up the twelve-string guitar, and his father would often leave him on street corners to sing for money, where his powerful voice left an indelible impression on passers-by. Legend has it that he was arrested for nearly starting a riot at a New Orleans courthouse with a powerful rendition of "If I Had My Way I'd Tear the Building Down", a song about Samson and Delilah. According to Samuel Charters, however, he was simply arrested while singing for tips in front of a Custom House, by a police officer who misconstrued the title lyric and mistook it for incitement.^[3] The twelve string guitar is an acoustic or electric guitar with twelve strings, which produces a richer, more ringing tone than a standard six string guitar. ... New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ... Samson and Delilah, by Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641) This article is about Biblical figure. ... Samson and Delilah by Tintoretto (1518–1594) Delilah or (דְּלִילָה, Standard Hebrew meaning [One who] weakened or uprooted or impoverished from the root dal meaning weak or poor. Also: Dəlila, Tiberian Hebrew Dəlîlāh; Arabic Dalilah), was the woman in the valley of Sorek whom Samson loved, and...

Johnson made 30 commercial recording studio record sides in five separate sessions for Columbia Records from 1927–1930. On some of these recordings Johnson uses a fast rhythmic picking style, while on others he plays slide guitar. According to a reputed one-time acquaintance, Blind Willie McTell (1898-1959), Johnson played with a brass ring, although other sources cite him using a knife. The only known photograph of Johnson does not reveal any fretting instrument. A recording studio is a facility for sound recording. ... It has been suggested that Childrens gramophone records be merged into this article or section. ... Columbia Records is the oldest brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888, and was the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders. ... Year 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1930 (MCMXXX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display 1930 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Blind Willie McTell (May 5, 1908–August 15, 1959), born William Samuel McTell, was an influential American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. ...

Some of Johnson's most famous recordings include his rendition of the famous gospel song "Let Your Light Shine On Me", as well as the raw, powerful "Dark Was The Night, Cold Was the Ground", where he sings in wordless hum and moans about the crucifixion of Jesus. This song was a "moaning" piece related to the Bentonia school of blues practiced by such "eerie voiced" artists as Skip James and Robert Johnson. A hum is a sound made by singing a wordless tone with the mouth completely closed, forcing the sound to emerge from the nose. ... Crucifixion is an ancient method of execution, where the condemned is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead. ... This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ... Nehemiah Curtis Skip James (June 21, 1902 – October 3, 1969) was an American blues singer, guitarist, pianist and songwriter. ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ...

On 14 of his recordings he is accompanied by Willie B Harris or an as-yet-unidentified female singer. This group of recordings includes "Church I'm Fully Saved Today", "John the Revelator", "You'll Need Somebody on Your Bond", and "Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burning". John the Revelator is a song by Depeche Mode and is featured on their 2005 album, Playing the Angel. ... Youll Need Somebody on Your Bond (later titled Youre Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond) is a song that is attributed to both tradition and to Texan singer and guitarist Blind Willie Johnson. ...

Legacy

His records have kept his music tremendously influential and his songs have been covered by several popular artists, including Led Zeppelin (who included his photograph on their second album), Bob Dylan, The 77s, Beck, Phil Keaggy and The White Stripes who have covered "John the Revelator". The latter song was also recorded by delta blues musician Son House, and "Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burning" was recorded by another delta blues musician, Fred McDowell. In 1968, British group Fairport Convention recorded a cover of "Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground" under the title "The Lord is in this Place...How Dreadful Is This Place". "If I Had My Way I'd Tear the Building Down", was recorded by Peter, Paul, and Mary; retitled as "Samson and Delilah", it was frequently performed by the Grateful Dead and appears on the studio album Terrapin Station; Gary Davis also has recorded a version of the song. "Nobody's Fault But Mine" has also been covered by Mason Jennings on several occasions and was modified by Led Zeppelin. In the liner notes of a 2002 record by Derek Bailey, Marc Ribot compared "Dark Was The Night, Cold Was the Ground" to the music of Django Reinhardt and the avant garde guitarist Bailey. Many of his songs, and those of Rev. Gary Davis, were recorded in the late 1980s by gospel blues musicians Glenn Kaiser and Darrell Mansfield, on their album "Trimmed & Burnin". Led Zeppelin were an English rock band that formed in September 1968. ... Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter, author, musician, and poet who has been a major figure in popular music for five decades. ... The 77s are an American rock band consisting of Michael Roe on lead guitar, Mark Harmon on bass and Bruce Spencer on drums. ... Beck Hansen (born Bek David Campbell, July 8, 1970) is a Grammy Award-winning American musician, singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, known by his simple stage name of Beck. ... Phil Keaggy (born March 23, 1951 in Youngstown, Ohio[1]) is a guitarist and vocalist. ... The White Stripes is an American rock music duo from Detroit, Michigan, consisting of Jack White (principal songwriter, vocals, guitar, piano) and Meg White (drums, percussion, vocals). ... Delta blues are named for the Mississippi Delta. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Fred McDowell (January 12, 1904 - July 3, 1972), called Mississippi Fred McDowell, was a blues singer and guitar player. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Peter, Paul and Mary (often PP&M) was one of the most successful folk-singing groups of the 1960s. ... Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in San Francisco, California. ... Reverend Gary Davis (Blind Gary Davis, April 30, 1896 – May 5, 1972) was an African American blues and gospel singer and guitarist. ... Led Zeppelin was a British rock band that became one of the most popular and influential musical ensembles of all time. ... Mason Jennings Mason Jennings (born 1975 in Honolulu, Hawaii) is a Minnesota-based pop-folk singer-songwriter. ... Derek Bailey pictured at the Vortex Club, Stoke Newington, 1991. ... Marc Ribot (born 1954) is a Jewish American guitarist, composer and occasional singer from Newark, New Jersey. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Love of Zero 35 mm film by Robert Florey 1927 Avant-garde (pronounced ) in French means front guard, advance guard, or vanguard. ... Reverend Gary Davis also Blind Gary Davis (April 30, 1896 – May 5, 1972) was an African American blues and gospel singer as well as a renowned guitarist. ... Glenn Kaiser is a Chicago-based blues musician and Christian pastor and speaker. ... Darrell Mansfield is an American Gospel/Blues musician. ...

In 2003 Deep Sea Records issued a CD tribute called Dark was the Night, featuring artists such as Martin Simpson, Gary Lucas, Mary Margaret O'Hara and Jody Stecher.

Johnson's recordings and legacy have crossed over into other media and cultural contexts. Dark Was The Night, Cold Was the Ground was included on the Voyager Golden Record, sent into space with the Voyager spacecraft in 1977, and for this reason was used in the widely seen science show Cosmos: A Personal Voyage by Carl Sagan in 1980. This recording also got Johnson mentioned on an episode of the television series The West Wing (see "The Warfare of Genghis Khan"); the fictional Deputy White House Chief of Staff Josh Lyman used Johnson's recording to show the depth and soul behind the space program. The song is also used in Pier Paolo Pasolini's The Gospel According to St Matthew; Walk the Line, a biopic of country singer Johnny Cash; and The Devil's Rejects, a serial killer film by rocker Rob Zombie. Ry Cooder, who based his desolate soundtrack to Paris, Texas on Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground, described it as "the most soulful, transcendent piece in all American music."^{citation needed} The Voyager Golden Record. ... The Voyager spacecraft Launch of Voyager 2 Voyager is also the name of a planned series of unmanned probes to Mars, cancelled in 1968. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... Cosmos: A Personal Voyage was the name of a thirteen part television series produced by Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan which was first broadcast by the Public Broadcasting Service in 1980. ... Insert non-formatted text here Carl Edward Sagan (November 9, 1934 – December 20, 1996) was an American astronomer and astrobiologist and a highly successful popularizer of astronomy, astrophysics, and other natural sciences. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... The West Wing is a popular and widely acclaimed American television serial drama created by Aaron Sorkin and produced and co-written by John Wells. ... The following is an episode list for the NBC serial drama television series The West Wing. ... The Deputy White House Chief of Staff is the top aide to the White House Chief of Staff, who is the senior aide to the President of the United States. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Pier Paolo Pasolini (March 5, 1922 - November 2, 1975) was an Italian poet, intellectual, film director, and writer. ... A biographical film or biopic is a film about a particular person or group of people, based on events that actually happened. ... It has been suggested that Johnny Cash family be merged into this article or section. ... Robert Bartleh Cummings (born January 12, 1965 ) [1]), better known as Rob Zombie, is an American heavy metal, groove metal, and industrial rock musician, filmmaker, and writer. ... Ryland Ry Peter Cooder (born 15 March 1947, in Los Angeles, California) is an American guitarist, singer and composer, known for his slide guitar work, his interest in the American roots music and, more recently, for his collaborations with traditional musicians from many countries. ... Paris, Texas (1984) is a movie directed by Wim Wenders and is probably his most well-known and critically acclaimed work (in the English speaking world, at least). ... [citation needed] Main article: Category:Articles lacking sources This tag will categorise tagged articles into Category:Articles lacking sources but not this template itself. ...

Notes

1. ^ Charters, 1993, p. 11.
2. ^ Charters, 1993, p. 11.
3. ^ Charters, 1993, p. 14.

References

• Charters, Samuel (1993). The Complete Blind Willie Johnson, CD booklet. Columbia/Legacy C2K 52835.

External links

• Biographical article
• Illustrated Blind Willie Johnson discography
• MP3 Audio Files of Songs by Blind Willie Johnson on the Internet Archive
• Excerpt of the film The Soul of a Man (Quicktime, 15 MB) Blind Willie Johnson (played by Chris Thomas King) performs "Trouble (Will) Soon Be Over"