Robert Johnson

1911 - 1936

United States (USA)

Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911 ? August 16, 1938) was an American blues singer and musician. His landmark recordings from 1936?37 display a combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that have influenced later generations of musicians. Johnson's shadowy, poorly documented life and death at age 27 have given rise to much legend, including a Faustian myth. As an itinerant performer who played mostly on street corners, in juke joints, and at Saturday night dances, Johnson enjoyed little commercial success or public recognition in his lifetime. His records sold poorly during his lifetime, and it was only after the first reissue of his recordings on LP in 1961 that his work reached a wider audience. Johnson is now recognized as a master of the blues, particularly of the Mississippi Delta blues style. He is credited by many rock musicians as an important influence; Eric Clapton has called Johnson 'the most important blues singer that ever lived.' Johnson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an 'Early Influence' in their first induction ceremony in 1986. In 2003, David Fricke ranked Johnson fifth in Rolling Stone 's list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. Rolling Stone's 2011 list ranks him at number seventy-one. Robert Johnson is today considered a master of the blues, particularly of the Delta blues style; Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones said in 1990, 'You want to know how good the blues can get? Well, this is it.' But according to Elijah Wald, in his book Escaping the Delta, Johnson in his own time was most respected for his ability to play in such a wide variety of styles?from raw country slide guitar to jazz and pop licks?and to pick up guitar parts almost instantly upon hearing a song. His first recorded song, 'Kind Hearted Woman Blues,' in contrast to the prevailing Delta style of the time, more resembled the style of Chicago or St. Louis, with 'a full-fledged, abundantly varied musical arrangement.' Unusual for a Delta player of the time, a recording exhibits what Johnson could do entirely outside of a blues style. 'They're Red Hot,' from his first recording session, shows that he was also comfortable with an 'uptown' swing or ragtime sound similar to the Harlem Hamfats but, as Wald remarks, 'no record company was heading to Mississippi in search of a down-home Ink Spots ... [H]e could undoubtedly have come up with a lot more songs in this style if the producers had wanted them.' (Collapse)... (Read more)

Source: Wikipedia

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