''The Complete Blind Willie Johnson'' is a compilation album of all the known recordings by American

gospel blues Gospel blues (or holy blues) is a form of blues-based gospel music that has been around since the inception of blues music. It combines evangelistic lyrics with blues instrumentation, often blues guitar accompaniment. According to musician and ...

singer-guitarist Blind Willie Johnson. 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 The compact disc (CD) is a digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then released in Oc ...

set were originally issued by Columbia on the then-standard two-sided

78 rpm record A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts nea ...

format. Over the years, many of the songs were included on other compilations, such as ''Blind Willie Johnson – His Story'' (1957) and ''Praise God, I'm Satisfied'' (1977); however, this album marks the first time all of Johnson's recordings were compiled on one set. 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. 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''.

Track listing

See

List of songs recorded by Blind Willie Johnson These are lists of every song recorded by the gospel blues musician Blind Willie Johnson (18971945), arranged both in alphabetical order by title and in chronological order by recording date. All were originally released by Columbia Records as ...

for sessionography information.

Disc one

#" I Know His Blood Can Make Me Whole" – 3:03 #"

Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed "In My Time of Dying" (also called "Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed" or a variation thereof) is a gospel music song by Blind Willie Johnson. The title line, closing each stanza of the song, refers to a deathbed and was inspired by a passage in th ...

" – 3:12 #"

It's Nobody's Fault but Mine "It's Nobody's Fault but Mine" or "Nobody's Fault but Mine" is a song first recorded by gospel blues artist Blind Willie Johnson in 1927. It is a solo performance with Johnson singing and playing slide guitar. The song has been interpreted a ...

" – 3:09 #" Mother's Children Have a Hard Time" – 3:21 #"

Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground "Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground"Because documentation is scarce in early recordings, the title of the song appears differently in many sources. It is often called "Dark Was the Night" or punctuated as "Dark Was the Night (Cold Was the Gr ...

" – 3:20 #" If I Had My Way I'd Tear the Building Down" – 3:08 #"

I'm Gonna Run to the City of Refuge "(I'm Gonna Run to) The City of Refuge" is a gospel blues song recorded in 1928 by Blind Willie Johnson, with backing vocals by Willie B. Harris, who may have been his first wife. It is an adaptation of the traditional song "You Better Run". Th ...

" – 3:23 #" Jesus Is Coming Soon" – 3:11 #"

Lord I Just Can't Keep From Crying "Lord I Just Can't Keep From Crying" is a traditional gospel blues song recorded in 1928 by Blind Willie Johnson (vocals and guitar) and Willie B. Harris (vocals), who is thought to have been his first wife. Some versions of the song recorded b ...

" – 3:01 #" Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burning" – 3:03 #"

Let Your Light Shine on Me "Let Your Light Shine on Me" is a traditional gospel blues song, having been recorded by The Wiseman Quartet in 1923, by Ernest Phipps in 1928, and by Blind Willie Johnson in 1929. The song itself is also known as "Shine On Me", "Let It Shine on ...

" – 3:09 #"

God Don't Never Change "God Don't Never Change" is a gospel blues song recorded by Blind Willie Johnson in 1929. The song is sometimes titled "God Don't Ever Change". Lyrics The verses include allusions to: * Psalm 114:4 "The mountains skipped like rams, and the l ...

" – 2:57 #"

Bye and Bye I'm Goin' to See the King "Bye and Bye We're (or, I'm) Going to See the King" is a Christian song from the African-American musical tradition. It is known by a variety of titles, including "I Wouldn't Mind Dying (If Dying Was All)" and "A Mother's Last Word to Her Daugh ...

" – 2:52 #" Sweeter as the Years Roll By" – 2:46

Disc two

You'll Need Somebody on Your Bond "You'll Need Somebody on Your Bond" (later titled "You're Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond") is a gospel song that is attributed to both tradition and to gospel blues musician Blind Willie Johnson. Johnson first recorded the song in December 193 ...

" – 3:05 #" When the War Was On" – 3:02 #" Praise God I'm Satisfied" – 3:11 #"

Take Your Burden to the Lord and Leave It There "Leave It There" is a Christian hymn composed in 1916 by African-American Methodist minister Charles A. Tindley. It has become popular enough to have been included in 12 hymnals; and even to be attributed to "traditional" or "anonymous". ...

" – 2:56 #" Take Your Stand" – 3:01 #" God Moves on the Water" – 2:59 #" Can't Nobody Hide from God" – 3:21 #" If It Had Not Been For Jesus" – 3:23 #"

Go with Me to That Land "Go with Me to That Land" or "Come and Go with Me (to That Land)" is a traditional gospel blues song recorded on April 20, 1930 by Blind Willie Johnson with backing vocals by Willie B. Harris, who may have been his first wife. It was released as ...

" – 3:04 #" The Rain Don't Fall on Me" – 3:18 #" Trouble Will Soon Be Over" – 3:07 #" The Soul of a Man" – 3:13 #" Everybody Ought to Treat a Stranger Right" – 3:05 #" Church, I'm Fully Saved To-Day" – 3:07 #" John the Revelator" – 3:17 #"

You're Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond "You'll Need Somebody on Your Bond" (later titled "You're Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond") is a gospel song that is attributed to both tradition and to gospel blues musician Blind Willie Johnson. Johnson first recorded the song in December 1930 ...

" – 3:10

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Complete Blind Willie Johnson (album), The 1993 compilation albums Blues compilation albums Columbia Records compilation albums Blind Willie Johnson albums