The Complete Blind Willie Johnson is a compilation album of all the known recordings by American gospel blues singer-guitarist Blind Willie Johnson.[1] As part of the Roots N' Blues series, it was released jointly by Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings, on April 27, 1993. All of the tracks on the two-compact disc set were originally issued by Columbia on the then-standard two-sided 78 rpm record format.
Over the years, many of the songs were included on other compilations, such as
Blind Willie Johnson – His Story (1957)[2] and Praise God, I'm Satisfied (1977);[3] however, this album marks the first time all of Johnson's recordings were compiled on one set.[citation needed] In 2013, Columbia reissued the album as The Essential Blind Willie Johnson.
Background
The tracks on the album originate from five recording dates between December 3, 1927, and April 20, 1930. Johnson, who provided lead vocals and guitar accompiment, was sometimes backed by female vocalists, most commonly his first alleged wife Willis B. Harris.[1] Blues historian Samuel Charters provided the information in album's liner booklet, correcting some bigrophahical errors he made from his first project featuring Johnson's recordings, titled Blind Willie Johnson 1927–1930.[4][page needed]
