Son of a legend
Anita linked to this very interesting piece on bluesman Robert Johnson's son. Claude Johnson is a 72-yr. old ex-gravel hauler now living in a house "with more rooms than he has furniture".

"In the midst of all this celebrity is Claud Johnson, who did not know until he was almost 40 that his father had recorded music."

Born out of wedlock to 17-year-old Virgie Mae Smith, he was mostly raised by Virgie Mae's father, a preacher and sharecropper, in a house where music was slapped back like the creeping fingertips of the devil.

If the blues came on the radio, a hand flew to the radio and switched it off. Once, Claud's uncle bought him a guitar, but his grandfather told him to put it down immediately.

His grandparents told him his father was Robert Johnson, a blues singer.

- posted by Deb @ Sugarfused @ 9:59 AM