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Robert Johnson

Born 08 May 1911. Died 16 August 1938.

1930's Blues Legend

Biography

Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911 – August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician, among the most famous of Delta blues musicians. His landmark recordings from 1936–1937 display a remarkable combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that have influenced generations of musicians. Johnson's shadowy, poorly documented life and death at age 27 have given rise to much legend.

Considered by some[who?] to be the "Grandfather of Rock 'n' Roll", his vocal phrasing, original songs, and guitar style have influenced a broad range of musicians, including Muddy Waters, Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Johnny Winter, Jeff Beck, and Eric Clapton, who called Johnson "the most important blues singer that ever lived". He was also ranked fifth in Rolling Stone's list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.

He is an inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Read more at Wikipedia...

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Blogs from the BBC

  1. Crossroads

    Fri 17 Apr 2009 14:56 It's a strange thing but there have been musicians that were so good that - in past... Mike Harding

Compilations releases

Release title Release date
The Complete Collection 2008
The Ultimate Jazz Archive (set 12: Blues, disc 3: Robert Johnson) 2005
An Introduction to Robert Johnson 2004
From Four Till Late 2004
Inspiring Eric 2004

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