Robert Johnson Biography, Videos & Pictures
Robert Johnson Facts
| Name: Robert Johnson | Guitars: Kalamazoo, Stella |
| Born: May 8th, 1911 | Amplifiers: |
| Origin: Hazlehurst, Mississippi | |
| Bands: Solo Artist and the "Devil" | |
| Links: Wikipedia, On the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame | |
Robert Johnson was born on May 8, 1911, in Hazlehurst, Mississippi to Julia Dodds and Noah Johnson. His father was not a part of his life and his mother sent him to live with her ex-husband, Charles Dodds, when the boy was around two years old. Charles had changed his surname to Spencer, and Robert shows up on some census records as Robert Spencer as a result.
Robert had returned to live with his mother when he was around 8 years old and remained with her throughout the rest of his schooling. A childhood friend remembers that Robert was known for playing the harmonica and the jaw harp in those early days. Rob was married shortly after school to a sixteen year old named Virginia Travis. Shortly after the marriage, Virginia died during childbirth. By this time he had adopted his birth father’s surname.
Blues musician Son House remembers the young Robert Johnson as a kid who, at first tried unsuccessfully to copy his style. House noted that one Johnson disappeared from the area a few months and came back with masterful guitar skills. Johnson’s sudden and complete transformation from no talent to super talent has given way to many stories of him selling his soul to the devil in exchange for the talent.
Early in his adult life, Johnson travelled from town to town, paying on street corners. His preferred to play the blues, but his ability to play by ear allowed him to play whatever requests the audience might have, and allowed him to earn a decent wage at his craft. Wanting more out of his career, Johnson eventually went to meet with H. C. Speir, a talent scout. Speir agreed to record Johnson and the resulting session, held on November 23, 1936, in the Gunter Hotel in San Antonio, Texas, resulting in several notable songs by Robert Johnson. The most famous, re-popularized by Eric Clapton, was "Cross Road Blues."
The next year, Johnson would take part in another recording session. The session took place in another makeshift studio, this time in Dallas, Texas. It resulted in eleven records for Johnson. Six of Johnson’s recording are about the devil, furthering the belief that his had sold his soul for the talent.
Johnson died at the age of 27. The details of his death are not known. It has been widely suggested that he died from strychnine poisoning. That claim has been spread by fellow musicians such as Sonny Boy Williamson and Honeyboy Edwards, but disputed by many experts.
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