Bradleigh.

Blind Willie Johnson – John the Revelator

John the Revelator

One of our greatest contributions to American folk history, Blind Willie’s voice was & will forever be one of a kind. Beyond gravel of a broken Texas road & untuned bottleneck strings, it is the heart laid truly bare, the throat completely emulsified. If it weren’t for the call & response with the female counterpart that made many of his interpretations signature, this might seem like madman jibberings – & perhaps the naked soul would be even more curiously evident.  This is the core of the American underground, all else is merely hype.  If we take the history of recorded blues to heart, Robert Johnson is our unfortunate praised Clapton while Blind Willie’s insanity merely echoes Beefheart’s brilliance.