Artist:Blind Willie Johnson
Song:I Know His Blood Can Make Me Whole
Album:Dark Was the Night
Though he only recorded briefly in the late 20s, Blind Willie Johnson is one of the most important figures in the development of the blues. This was because of his bottleneck guitar playing and for evangelical blues because he was a preacher first. I Know His Blood Can Make Me Whole was his first Columbia recording in 1927. He was born Jan. 25, 1897 in Pendleton, TX which is near Temple. He grew up in Marlin, TX. Johnson's father was a sharecropper and they went to church every Sunday. His mother died in 1901 and his father remarried. Johnson was seven years old when his father confronted his wife about infidelity. She threw a bottle of lye water at him and it accidently blinded Willie. For the most part, Johnson was a singing street preacher raising money for the local church. He became well known enough that Columbia Records talent scout Frank Buckley Walker brought Johnson to Dallas to record. He recorded six songs in 1927 including probably his best known song Dark Was the Night. I Know His Blood Can Make Me Whole was the first release. It's a traditional gospel song about the evils of gambling. It may have been recorded previously by Robert "Barbecue Bob" Hicks. Johnson was paid $50 per side and a bonus to waive royalties. That was a lot of money to him. Johnson returned to Dallas to record in 1928 and then to Atlanta in 1930. Those were his final recordings and you can get all of them on this budget comp. When Rev. Gary Davis popularized evangelical blues in the 60s, experts took a new look at Johnson's music and he was declared a lost genius. Many folk singers of the era covered Johnson's music. His Columbia recordings are considered essential today. After his final recordings, Johnson continued to sing in the streets of Beaumont, TX. After a fire destroyed his house, Johnson was forced to live in the street. He contracted malaria but no hospital would admit him because he was black and blind. Blind Willie Johnson died on Sept. 18, 1945 at age 48. Here's a video for I Know His Blood Can Make Me Whole by Blind Willie Johnson.
It sounds like he had a very tough life. That last part about him being denied any health care or medical attention because he was black, angers me. It should never have been this way, but it was. I am just glad some of his music lives on to this day Frank. I hope he is in heaven now. Enjoying himself and singing with joy. David.
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