Overview

In 1977, when the Voyager deep space probes were launched on their journey into interstellar space, they each carried a gold record containing music from a wide variety of cultures. Of the four selections of American music chosen, one was a recording of Texas street evangelist “Blind” Willie Johnson’s haunting gospel song, “Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground.” Despite Johnson’s recording taking its place among the works intended to represent human culture to the cosmos, his life has long remained shrouded in anonymity and conjecture. Like many African American musicians in the segregated South of the early twentieth century, he managed a precarious existence that hardly lent itself to extensive documentation. Now, after intensive research, both in the field and in archives across the region, author Shane Ford fills in many of the blanks in what may be known or deduced about the life of a musician whose work he describes as “transcendent.” Along the way, he corrects the many errors that have arisen around Johnson and his career: errors that have unfortunately been repeated so often that they have come to be accepted as fact. Beginning with the earliest roots of the blues amid the moans and field hollers of enslaved persons and proceeding with imagination and meticulous regard for the available—albeit sparse—documentation of the life of the artist, Ford paints a picture of “Blind” Willie Johnson and his times that allows us to perceive him in greater detail than ever before. The Ballad of “Blind” Willie Johnson offers readers a deeper appreciation of one of the most unique voices in the history of American music.

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9781648432774

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Reviews

""The Ballad of 'Blind' Willie Johnson vastly expands our understanding of an artist who has always been deemed significant, but whose biography has been contested at best, ignored or erroneous at worst. Ford's project is epic in its sweep, poetic in its vision, while also being firmly rooted in the fine details of historical research and scholarly context.""--Jason Mellard, Director, Center for Texas Music History--Jason Mellard ""No mere biography, The Ballad of ""Blind"" Willie Johnson is a fascinating meditation on spiritual life that also explores the role of music, race relations, slave songs, and religion among Black residents of Texas in the 20th century. Although no one ever interviewed Johnson, Shane Ford's tenacity and ability as a researcher of primary sources--especially into newspapers and official records, such as draft cards--is impressive, and provides a solid foundation for this book. When I first heard Blind Willie Johnson's music in 1970, the sound and essence of his music immediately captivated me and I would have been incredulous if you told me that a book about his music and life would be published fifty-five years later, yet here it is!""--Kip Lornell, Professor Emeritus of Music History and Culture, George Washington University and co-author (with Alan Govenar) of See That My Grave Is Kept Clean: The World and Music of Blind Lemon Jefferson and Blues Come to Texas: Paul Oliver and Mack McCormick's Unfinished Book --Kip Lornell

Author Information

Shane Ford is an Austin–based multimedia artist who spearheaded a campaign to honor Texas musician “Blind” Willie Johnson with a cenotaph and historical marker in Beaumont, Texas. Formerly host of an Austin roots music and blues radio show, his research has been preserved in the Library of Congress and his writing has appeared in Texas Monthly.

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