Robert Johnson (1911–1938) was the Mississippi Delta blues singer and guitarist who recorded just 29 songs across two sessions in 1936 and 1937 — and shaped everything that came after. The 1961 compilation King of the Delta Blues Singers sparked his rediscovery; The Complete Recordings (1990) gathers it all. Dig into Robert Johnson vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Robert Leroy Johnson was born in Hazlehurst, Mississippi on May 8, 1911. He spent his life primarily in the Mississippi Delta region working as an itinerant blues musician. He recorded only 29 songs - across two recording sessions held by Don Law for Vocalion Records / ARC in November 1936 (Gunter Hotel, San Antonio, Texas) and June 1937 (Brunswick Records studio, Dallas, Texas). Approximately 11 78 RPM singles were released during his lifetime. He died at age 27 on August 16, 1938 near Greenwood, Mississippi of uncertain cause - poisoned whiskey lore (with popular speculation linking it to a jealous husband), syphilis complications, or other unverified causes. His recordings were rediscovered through the 1961 Columbia Records compilation King of the Delta Blues Singers (compiled by John Hammond), which established his foundational role in Delta blues and broader American popular music history. popular lore - the 'crossroads' legend (story that Johnson sold his soul to the devil at a Mississippi crossroads in exchange for his guitar skills) - established his mythological cultural status. His foundational influence on Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, the White Stripes, Jack White, and dozens of other subsequent blues-influenced rock acts has been. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 (inaugural class, posthumously). His foundational influence on blues, rock, and broader popular music history is widely cited as one of the most important contributions to the form.
Robert Johnson's sound is foundational to Delta blues as a recognized genre - combining Delta blues, country blues, acoustic blues, fingerpicking blues, and prewar blues with his distinctive vocal delivery (use of falsetto and expressive phrasing), virtuosic acoustic guitar work (use of slide guitar and fingerpicking approaches), and lyrical content addressing relationships, supernatural themes, mortality, and dark themes drawing on African American Southern folk traditions.
Original 1930s ARC / Vocalion 78 RPM singles of the Robert Johnson catalog are some of the most collected and valuable 78 RPM blues records in popular music history - with 78 RPM single auction records ($80,000+ for individual mint condition pressings).
Listeners new to Robert Johnson typically start with The Complete Recordings (1990) or King of the Delta Blues Singers (1961).
