Attention Williamsburg hipsters! Are you going to SXSW? Do you want to know the origin of all of your guitar riffs? Well then on Saturday, March 19, 2:00pm go to the panel called Searching for Blind Willie Johnson. You’ll get some learning, and you’ll see author, journalist, professor, and subject of A Life’s Work, Robert Darden (and a bunch of other esteemed folks), discussing one of the most enigmatic and influential musicians this country has ever produced.
Here’s Blind Willie doing John the Revelator which would be covered by Son House, Gov’t Mule, Nick Cave, and the White Stripes, among other “secular” musicians.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hucTDV1Fvo[/youtube]More Blind Willie Johnson posts here and here. And I suspect they’ll be another post on the man soon.
And if you do go to SXSW, say hello to Bob for me.