Blind — Willie Johnson - Dark Was The Night...

: Despite his prodigious talent, Johnson spent most of his life as a street-corner evangelist. He lived and died in poverty; in 1945, his house burned down, and he died from malarial fever shortly after while living in the wet ruins because he was reportedly refused hospital treatment due to his race or blindness. Cultural Legacy: To the Stars

"Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground" is often cited as one of the most transcendent pieces of music ever recorded. Released in 1927, this gospel-blues masterpiece is a wordless, haunting instrumental that uses humming, moaning, and bottleneck slide guitar to convey deep spiritual and human anguish. The Composition and Meaning

: Born in Texas in 1897, Johnson was not born blind. According to legend, he was blinded at age seven when his stepmother threw lye in his face during a fight with his father.