Robert Johnson

Robert Johnson (1911-1938), American singer, guitarist, and influential blues musician. His recordings became well known during the blues revival of the 1960s.

Johnson was born in Hazelhurst, Mississippi. It is not known how he learned music. He was recognized as a charismatic performer and, like many blues singers, he moved frequently, playing on street corners and at parties in various towns. Eventually he performed as far away as Chicago and New York City. He recorded 29 songs in Texas during 1936 and 1937. He died in 1938 after being poisoned by a man who thought that Johnson was involved with his wife.

Johnson's voice was high and sometimes ghostly, and he was skilled in changing the sound of his guitar to echo the emotions of his singing. He also improvised melodic flights with a virtuosity rarely heard previously. He often sang about loneliness, sex, and the fear of evil. One of his most gripping songs is “Hell Hound on My Trail” (1937). Johnson's works later influenced Chicago-style blues and 1960s rock music. Long after his death, his songs were recorded by blues musicians such as Muddy Waters and Elmore James and by rock musicians such as Eric Clapton and The Rolling Stones. In 1990 a set of Johnson's complete recordings was released and became a popular success.