Lord I Just Can't Keep From Crying Sometimes - Blind Willie Johnson

Blind Willie Johnson (1897-1945) Johnson's step-mother threw lye in his face as a child, which caused his blindness. He was in the forefront of slide guitar technique making strange sounds on his guitar using objects such as a brass ring, bottle or pocketknife. Johnson spent his final years preaching. His music was not really appreciated during his lifetime. Johnson was an American singer and guitarist whose music straddled the border between blues and spirituals. While the lyrics of all of his songs were religious, his music drew from both sacred and blues traditions. Among musicians, he is considered one of the greatest slide or bottleneck guitarists, as well as one of the most revered figures of depression-era gospel music.[citation needed] His music is distinguished by his powerful bass thumb-picking and gravelly false-bass voice, with occasional use of a tenor voice."