Blind Willie Johnson
Gravel-voiced Blind Willie Johnson was a gospel-blues preacher and the most persuasive musical argument for bottleneck guitar. His music drew from folk, hymns and blues to create a small but influential body of work, all of which has thankfully been preserved. On the other hand, most of the facts about his life are unconfirmable at best and contradictory at worst.
William Johnson was born January 22nd, 1897, just outside Brenham, Texas, in the heart of the bluebonnet region. His mother died when he was a three or four and his father, George, quickly remarried, soon after relocating the family to Marlin. When Willie was five, he supposedly expressed his desire to preach the gospel and his father obliged him by constructing a guitar... Read More
- City Of Origin:
- Brenham, Texas, United States
- Genre:
- Blues, Country Blues, Gospel & Christian, Gospel, Old-Time Gospel
- Birthdate:
- 01/22/1897
- Death date:
- 09/18/1945
