Robert Johnson's Lasting Impact on American Music

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As we honor Black History Month, we celebrate the artists whose creativity helped define American music. Few figures are larger in that story than Robert Johnson, a Mississippi Delta bluesman whose brief life and powerful songs helped lay the foundation for much of the music we hear today. In just two recording sessions in 1936 and 1937, Johnson recorded 29 songs that went on to influence blues, rock, folk, jazz, and beyond.

Why it matters

Robert Johnson's music reminds us that innovation often comes from the margins, that something special can rise under the harshest conditions, and that Black artists have shaped American music at every turn. Without Johnson's innovations, many of the genres and careers we know today may never have taken shape the same way.

The details

Born in 1911 in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, Johnson grew up in the Jim Crow South, navigating poverty, racism, and instability. Tracks like 'Cross Road Blues,' 'Hellhound on My Trail,' 'Love in Vain,' and 'Sweet Home Chicago' weren't just popular blues songs, they became templates. His use of rhythm, slide guitar, storytelling, and emotional intensity shaped how music could sound and what it could say.

• Robert Johnson was born in 1911 in Hazlehurst, Mississippi.
• Johnson recorded 29 songs in two sessions in 1936 and 1937.
• Johnson died in 1938 at the age of 27.
• The Complete Recordings of Robert Johnson was released in 1990.

What’s next

The Robert Johnson Blues Foundation continues the work of preserving his legacy and educating new generations about the blues as a cornerstone of Black American history.