ChristianWeek

Although today’s recording technology is so much better than that of the past, there are some artists whose music comes down to us through the years with something that still needs to be heard. Before World War II, some of the best blues music being performed was actually gospel. Some of the performers—such as Mississippi John Hurt, Charley Patton and Blind Willie McTell—were also known for their secular blues; it’s hard to be certain with some of these figures whether gospel was a passion, or just another way to butter their bread. For others, known as the guitar evangelists, their recordings were exclusively gospel.

Some fine performers such as Rev. Gary Davis, who only recorded gospel, and Mississippi Fred McDowell, who sang both, were embraced by the folk music revival of the early ’60s and made recordings in more advanced studios. Others who died much earlier, such as Blind Roosevelt Graves, leave us an uneven legacy because some of their recordings are compromised by surface noise, making them mainly of interest to blues historians and quirky collectors such as myself. The further back you go, the poorer is the general quality of the recordings, and yet sometimes the scratchy sound of a 78 rpm record deep behind the sound of the blues often becomes part of the experience.

The greatest of all the early guitar evangelists was Blind Willie Johnson. Although all of his recordings were made before the end of 1930, the sound quality is excellent, with only an occasional click or background hiss making its way into a listener’s consciousness.

On Sweeter As The Years Go By, Johnson is first and always a gospel singer. His gruff false bass voice startles you on the opening track, “John The Revelator,” particularly when contrasted with the sweet female accompaniment, and it does take quite a while to get used to. What also makes Johnson stand out are his songs; several are standards from the gospel circuit of the late ’20s, but some are wonderful Johnson originals such as: “The Soul of A Man” (covered by Bruce Cockburn in 1991) and “If I Had My Way I’d Tear This Building Down” (recorded by Peter, Paul & Mary in 1962).

His influence continues to grow. Blues performer Taj Mahal recorded Johnson’s “You’re Gonna Need Somebody On Your Bond” back in 1969—a track included on his recent career retrospective. T Bone Burnett has recorded his own song with the conspicuous title, “If I Had My Way I’d Tear This Building Down.” I’ve long thought that Canadian bluesman Colin Linden’s slide playing is reminiscent of Johnson; he has recently proved me right by covering “Trouble Soon Be Over” for his new album.

Johnson is extremely versatile and innovative on his slide guitar, which he played with a jack knife instead of a slide. His playing is unsurpassed by any of his contemporaries, but he had no desire to be a blues singer; he wanted to be a preacher. This comes through, too, in his choice of songs. Whereas some of the gospel numbers recorded by other blues singers are sweet songs meant to please the religious in their audiences, Johnson’s songs are about significant life issues, such as the 1918 influenza epidemic.

On “The Soul of A Man” he sings about tackling the secular humanists (“the lawyers and the doctors”) head on. He roars, “I read the Bible often/I try to read it right/As far as I can understand/It ain’t nothin’ but a burning light.”

He only recorded a total of 30 songs; 16 appear here and the rest are on a sister CD: Praise God I’m Satisfied. Columbia has also released these recordings as a double set: The Complete Blind Willie Johnson. Either way all of these songs are superb, and should not be missed, although, if you’re going to choose one to start, most of my favourite tracks are on Sweeter As The Years Go By.

D.S. Martin is a Canadian poet and writer. His poetry chapbook So The Moon Would Not Be Swallowed has just been published by Rubicon Press. Visit www.dsmartin.ca.