Blind Willie Johnson: History and Documents

Learn more about Blind Willie Johnson, and his Documents – our 100th story!

When we hear of the Blues, we hear the usual names.  Robert Johnson.  Charley Patton.  Muddy Waters.  But seldom mentioned in the same group is perhaps one of the most accomplished and influential bluesmen of all time – Blind Willie Johnson.  Guitarist Ry Cooder once referred to Johnson’s song “Dark Was The Night…” as the most transcendent piece in all American music.  Eric Clapton called Johnson’s playing on “It’s Nobody’s Fault But Mine” probably the finest slide guitar playing you’ll ever hear.

Most accounts state that Blind Willie Johnson was born in 1897 in Marlin, Texas, a small railroad town in the heart of cotton country. His mother died when he was very young, and his father remarried. Johnson was not born blind.  His father’s second wife was caught having an affair with another man, and she received a beating when her husband discovered it was going on. To avenge the beating, she threw lye in her young stepson’s eyes, blinding him permanently. That was when he was seven. And the remainder of his life would be spent in absolute darkness.  The way he died is equally as interesting – in 1945 his house caught fire and burned to the ground. With no money and nowhere else to go, Johnson and his wife slept in the burned ruins of their home on a bed of damp newspapers, living that way until, two weeks later, he contracted pneumonia. After being denied admittance to the local hospital, he died.

Let’s get to the documents…

On Blind Willie Johnson’s death certificate the address listed is 1440 Forrest Street, Beaumont, Texas, which at the time was The House of Prayer, and the name listed is Rev W. J. Johnson. For years Johnson’s grave site was sought out by researchers and Blues enthusiasts, but it was only recently, in August of 2009, that Blues researcher and Texan Charles Ortman uncovered Johnson’s long lost grave in Beaumont’s Blanchette Cemetery (NOTE: New research shows the plot location discovered by Mr. Ortman may be inaccurate). As it turned out, Johnson had been buried in an unmarked pauper’s grave in the “colored” section of Blanchette Cemetery, which is actually still separated from the “white” section by a chain link fence. (NOTE: New research claims the location of the cemetery where Mr. Johnson is buried is in a different location than the one claimed by Mr. Ortman.  New research states it is located between Hegele and Ollie streets cornered by Inca street and Southern Pacific road.)

In relation to the Death Certificate, blues fan Jeff Anderson has found a remarkable document, the 1918 draft registration card of a Willie Johnson.  Some of the information on this document would contradict the Death Certificate.  His birthdate was slightly different, but was only off by a few days. His Death Certificate lists his birth as the 22nd, but his Draft Card lists it as the 25th.  The length of time Johnson has been blind was verified by this document.  So why has it not been largely recognized as the official Draft Card of Willie Johnson?  Because of the reference to Houston, and the different birth locations.

In other research, a connection to Houston was hard to find concerning Willie Johnson.  However, some new information has been discovered.  Johnson, along with his second wife, would often sing in the Mt. Olive Church, and at local revivals in Houston.  This is the connection – it was often a place Johnson was welcomed to perform.  When he was in town, he would stay at a boarding house run by Narcissa Waters, who owned the building at 912 Fuller Street in the Fourth Ward.  Since this is where Johnson would stay in Houston, this is his connection to that city – thus the reason it is on the Draft Card.

As far as the different birth cities go, that is easy enough to solve.  The Death Certificate, in this case, is wrong.  It lists his birth town as Independence.  However, the Draft Card lists it as Pendleton, near Temple.  Not only has Pendleton (Temple) been long thought of as Willie’s birthplace, it makes much more sense.  Johnson’s mother was from Moody, and his father was from Temple.  It makes far more sense that Johnson would be born in Pendleton, just a few miles from those two towns.

The death certificate, with information provided by Angeline Johnson, has Blind Willie’s birthdate at Jan 22, 1897; draft card puts it at Jan. 25, 1897. Considering record-keeping of the time, especially among itinerant African Americans, that’s close enough. Death certificate says he was born in Independence, near Brenham; draft card puts his birth at Pendleton, near Temple, which has long been thought of as Blind Willie’s birthplace. Could it be that Angeline said “Pendleton” and the doctor heard “Independence?” Or wasn’t listening very closely? With Blind Willie’s mother, Mary Fields, coming from Moody and his father (named Willie Johnson Sr. on the death certificate, but Dock Johnson on the draft card) living in Temple, it makes much more sense that Blind Willie was born in Pendleton, which is just a few miles from those towns.

Another discrepancy is the name of Johnson’s father.  On the Death Certificate, it is listed as Willie Johnson Sr.  On the Draft Card, it shows Dock Johnson.  One can only speculate the difference here, but it is possible that Angeline Johnson provided the wrong information on the Death Certificate.  More than likely, the Draft Card, which would have been filled out (with assistance of course) by Willie himself holds the more truthful documentation.

Your thoughts?