Legendary artist Tom Waits is streaming his new recording of Soul Of A Man from the forthcoming album God Don’t Never Change: The Songs Of Blind Willie Johnson on Soundcloud. Waits also recorded John The Revelator for the album.
The album — to be issued on CD on February 26 and soon after on vinyl — features newly recorded versions of the iconic slide guitarist/vocalist’s most seminal material. In addition to Waits, Lucinda Williams, Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi, Cowboy Junkies, Blind Boys Of Alabama (with Jason Isbell on guitar), Sinéad O’Connor, Luther Dickinson featuring The Rising Star Fife & Drum Band, Maria McKee, and Rickie Lee Jones all deliver deeply moving interpretations of Johnson’s otherworldly “gospel blues” music.
Produced by Jeffrey Gaskill (producer of the twice Grammy-nominated compilation, Gotta Serve Somebody: The Gospel Songs of Bob Dylan), God Don’t Never Change: The Songs Of Blind Willie Johnson highlights the music of one of the greatest and most influential slide guitarists and vocalists who ever walked the Earth. Johnson sang his sanctified gospel lyrics with overwhelming intensity, his deep, raspy voice accompanying his haunting, blues-drenched guitar playing. Rock fans will no doubt recognize many of his songs which have been recorded over the years by artists ranging from Led Zeppelin to Eric Clapton to Bob Dylan. Johnson’s recording of John The Revelator was included in the Anthology Of American Folk Music, archivist Harry Smith’s 6-LP collection released in 1952 that set the folk revival of the 1960s into motion. God Don’t Never Change: The Songs Of Blind Willie Johnson is, according to Gaskill, “my life’s work.” The project was years in the making, and Gaskill is thrilled it’s ready to be released. “You gotta serve somebody,” he says, referencing his earlier compilation, “and I got the songs of Blind Willie Johnson.”
Blind Willie Johnson, whose life remains shrouded in mystery, was born in Pendleton, Texas in 1897 and grew up around Marlin, Texas, He recorded a total of 30 songs between 1927 and 1930 for Columbia, leaving behind a priceless legacy of the unforgettable music he created by marrying the raw, gospel fervor of his voice with the steely blues fire of his guitar. His songs were mostly traditional or came from hymnals, but when Johnson performed them, he transformed them with his soul-shaking voice and amazing slide guitar. Johnson was among the best-selling black gospel artists of the era, but the Great Depression ended his recording career. He continued traveling as a street singer, moving between Dallas, Galveston, Houston, Corpus Christi, San Antonio and finally to Beaumont, where he thundered out his street corner evangelism, spreading his sacred message through his transfixing music. He died in 1945 in Beaumont, Texas at the age of 48.
In 1977, NASA sent the Voyager 1 spacecraft on a one-way trip out of our galaxy and into the far recesses of outer space. The hope was that one day some other lifeform would come upon it and gain some insight into the essence of mankind. To that end, a gold record and player were included, featuring sounds and music to illuminate the human condition. Included on that record—along with a recording of a human heartbeat and music by Beethoven and Bach—was Blind Willie Johnson’s haunting and ethereal “Dark Was The Night—Cold Was The Ground,” a timeless representation of the humanity of Earth’s inhabitants.
Appropriately, a newly recorded version of “Dark Was The Night—Cold Was The Ground” (performed by Rickie Lee Jones) closes God Don’t Never Change: The Songs Of Blind Willie Johnson. The eleven-track album features inspired interpretations of the iconic slide guitarist/vocalist’s most seminal material. Tom Waits, Lucinda Williams, Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi, Cowboy Junkies, The Blind Boys Of Alabama (accompanied by Jason Isbell), Sinéad O’Connor, Luther Dickinson with The Rising Star Fife & Drum Band, Maria McKee, and Rickie Lee Jones all deliver deeply moving and highly personal reinventions of Johnson’s otherworldly “gospel blues” music.
Blind Willie Johnson recorded a total of 30 tracks for Columbia between 1927 and 1930, creating a priceless legacy. He created unforgettable music by marrying the gospel fervor of his vocals with the steely blues fire of his guitar. His songs were mostly traditional or came from hymnals, but when Johnson performed them, his soul-shaking voice and amazing slide guitar transformed each one into something wholly original.
Rock fans will no doubt recognize many of Johnson’s songs, which have been recorded over the years by artists ranging from Led Zeppelin to Eric Clapton to Bob Dylan. Johnson’s recording of “John The Revelator” was included in The Anthology Of American Folk Music, archivist Harry Smith’s six-LP collection released in 1952, that set the folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s into motion.
According to Luther Dickinson, “Blind Willie Johnson touches everybody. His music is so of the earth that it still sounds completely modern. It’s timeless and like nothing else ever recorded. If we could hip anybody to Blind Willie Johnson, their lives would be enriched for sure.”
Derek Trucks wholeheartedly agrees, saying, “I never heard a slide player, even to this day, play with that much emotion. I’ve only heard a few things that have hit me quite that strongly. There’s something so honest about his recordings. He’s one of the few handful of musicians whose music really feels sacred to me. Johnson’s songs, lyrics and the ability to pair the slide with the voice were amazing. It feels like it came out of a different world.”
Produced by Jeffrey Gaskill, God Don’t Never Change: The Songs Of Blind Willie Johnson highlights the music of one of the most charismatic and influential slide guitarists who ever walked the Earth. As Gaskill states, “Blind Willie Johnson’s music is imperishable. His music speaks to us as it laments the human condition; it speaks to us as it praises the steadfastness of an unchanging God. It travels through time with the same bold call of repentance that was once delivered to listeners on Texas street corners. Ultimately, it is the message that endures.” God Don’t Never Change: The Songs Of Blind Willie Johnson is, according to Gaskill, “my life’s work.” The project was years in the making, and Gaskill is thrilled that it’s finally ready to be released.
On God Don’t Never Change: The Songs Of Blind Willie Johnson, each artist sounds as if he or she was born to preach Johnson’s gospel. These eleven performances are a powerful and cohesive affirmation of faith as deep as the soul of a man, with an eternal message that is as boundless as the dark, cold night at the farthest edge of the universe.
God Don’t Never Change: The Songs Of Blind Willie Johnson
1) The Soul Of A Man (Tom Waits)
2) It’s Nobody’s Fault But Mine (Lucinda Williams)
3) Keep Your Lamp Trimmed And Burning ( )
4) Jesus Is Coming Soon (Cowboy Junkies)
5) Mother’s Children Have A Hard Time (Blind Boys of Alabama)
6) Trouble Will Soon Be Over (Sinéad O’Connor)
7) Bye And Bye I’m Going To See The King (Luther Dickinson featuring The Rising Star Fife & Drum Band)
8) God Don’t Never Change (Lucinda Williams)
9) John The Revelator (Tom Waits)
10) Let Your Light Shine On Me (Maria McKee)
11) Dark Was The Night–Cold Was The Ground (Rickie Lee Jones)
