Blind Willie Johnson (1897 - 1945)
The man who's singing in outer space
“Blind Willie Johnson (January 25, 1897 – September 18, 1945) was an American gospel blues singer, guitarist and evangelist. His landmark recordings completed between 1927 and 1930—thirty songs in total—display a combination of powerful "chest voice" singing, slide guitar skills, and originality that has influenced generations of musicians. Even though Johnson's records sold well, as a street performer and preacher, he had little wealth in his lifetime. His life was poorly documented, but over time, music historians such as Samuel Charters have uncovered more about Johnson and his five recording sessions.”
Apparently this track was used in the Martin Scorses film, Killers of the Flower Moon and it even ended up in space (more on that later).
An important aspect of Johnson's recordings was his mastering of the bottleneck guitar technique, which was immediately influential on Robert Johnson and Howlin' Wolf.
By most accounts, including one by the reputable blues guitarist Blind Willie McTell, Johnson used a knife as a slide, but other claims by Harris and the bluesman Thom Shaw also state he used a thumb pick or brass ring on his recordings.
Johnson sang in a harsh, gravelly bass voice that was meant to be powerful enough to be heard by passersby on the streets.
Johnson's music was revived in the 1960s thanks in large part to his inclusion on Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music in 1952 and the efforts of the blues guitarist Reverend Gary Davis, a highly regarded figure in New York's blossoming folk scene.
In November 1962, Bob Dylan recorded a rendition of "Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed", retitled "In My Time of Dying", for his self-titled debut album.[26] Rock bands and artists of the 1970s also covered Johnson's songs, including Led Zeppelin, John Sebastian, and Eric Clapton.
Here’s the same tune played by Jorma Kaukonen (which you may know from Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna):
And here it’s played by Derek Trucks with his wife, Susan Tedeschi:
About that space story…
In 1977, the American astronomer Carl Sagan and his team were tasked with creating a representation of Earth and its inhabitants to be included on the Voyager spacecraft, which was sent into space in search of extraterrestrial life. They crafted a golden record featuring 116 images, various sounds (such as thunder, storms, and animal noises), greetings in fifty-five languages, and music from around the globe. Among the musical selections, including pieces by Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Chuck Berry, and Louis Armstrong, as well as contributions from countries like Peru, Indonesia, China, and the Solomon Islands, there was also the song "Dark Was The Night – Cold Was The Ground" (which is listed right at the top of this post).
NASA employee Timothy Ferris suggested this particular song, stating that:
"Johnson's song concerns a situation he faced many times: nightfall with no place to sleep. Since humans appeared on Earth, the shroud of night has yet to fall without touching a man or woman in the same plight."
In 2012, Voyager left our solar system, carrying the music of Blind Willie Johnson on its journey into the stars.
You can download a partial transcription of “Keep your lamp trimmed and burning” here:
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