Died On This Date (November 1, 1956) Tommy Johnson / Influential Delta Blues Musician

Tommy Johnson
1896 – November 1, 1956

Tommy Johnson was a Mississippi-born blues musician whose career began around 1915, with his first recordings coming in the late ’20s.  He is considered one of the foundations of Delta blues due to his solid songwriting and his strong falsetto voice.  The band Canned Heat took their name from his “Canned Heat Blues.”  Johnson was the first known blues musician’s to claim that he sold his soul to the devil.  A primary character in the 2000 film O’ Brother Where Art Thou, also named Tommy Johnson, is said to be based upon him and not Robert Johnson as has been assumed.  Tommy Johnson, age 60, suffered a fatal heart attack after playing a party on November 1, 1956.