John the Revelator

From the desk of Ned P. Rauch:

Way back in 1930, 33-year-old Blind Willie Johnson, a poor musician/preacher from Texas, recorded an old traditional tune, "John the Revelator," for Columbia Records. You can hear his recording here. It's a knockout tune, chock full of references to that spookiest of books from the Bible, Revelations. (An aside: If you haven't read it in a while, give it a look. It's strange. I mean, really far out. No offense to those who find meaning in it, but it makes "Alice in Wonderland" seem totally rational by comparison.) It's believed that the woman singing the response on Johnson's recording is his wife. Johnson died 15 years after he cut the record; pneumonia got him just a few weeks after his house burned down.

Since then, loads of folks have recorded his tune. Here's Nick Cave singing it (and looking at the words on his music stand). Here's Gov't Mule and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band's take. My band, Frankenpine, plays it, too. Listeners may have heard the three founding 'Piners play it on the show last week. We'll have a full-band version up on the band's site (and maybe this one) soon.

No matter whose version you listen to, it's worth spending some time with.

(Drawing of Blind Willie by R. Crumb, who made a whole book of these portraits [with companion CD]. Check him out.)