USA
(Unknown)
Just twenty-seven when he died, Robert Leroy Johnson is arguably the most influential blues singer, songwriter and guitarist of all time – despite having recorded only twenty-nine songs. He was largely unknown until the posthumous release of his music in 1961.
Employing at least eight different surnames, and with three possible graves, lack of documentary evidence has given rise to seemingly endless myths about Johnson – most significantly, that he sold his soul to the devil at a Mississippi Delta crossroads in exchange for supernatural talent at the guitar.
This photo-booth picture is one of only two confirmed photographs of Johnson. The guitar he is holding is likely to be a Room 414 of the Gunter 1935-1936 Gibson L-00 model, with a capo on the second fret. Whatever the truth about the origin of his talent, the picture shows that Johnson had what appear to be remarkably long fingers.
‘He’d follow me and Willie around on Saturday night, me and Willie Brown, and every time we stopped to rest and set a guitar over on the corner or something, to go out and catch air, you know, he’d get the guitar and be tryin’ to play it and be just noisin’ the people.’
Son House
