The Complete Recordings (Robert Johnson album)

Before he died in 1938, with the help of H. C. Speir, Johnson recorded 29 songs for the American Record Corporation (ARC). His complete canon of recordings includes these 29 masters, plus 13 surviving alternate takes, all recorded at two ARC sessions held in San Antonio and Dallas, Texas. The Mississippi Delta—200 miles of fertile lowlands stretching from Memphis, Tennessee, in the North to Vicksburg, Mississippi, in the South—was one of the primary locales in which the blues originated and developed.^[6] He is said to have been heavily influenced by early blues artists like Skip James,^[7] who was recorded in 1931, around the same time that Johnson amazed his elders with his mastery of the guitar. James's eerie, distinctive style is reflected throughout Johnson's recordings, especially "32-20 Blues," which he adapted from James's "22-20 Blues."

Johnson's first session in San Antonio took place over three days – November 23, 26, and 27, 1936. Sixteen songs were recorded in the Gunter Hotel, where ARC had set up equipment to record several musical artists. "Kind Hearted Woman Blues" was the first song recorded. Also captured in San Antonio were "I Believe I'll Dust My Broom" and "Sweet Home Chicago," both of which became post-war blues standards. "Terraplane Blues," known for its metaphoric lyrics, became a regional hit and Johnson's signature song. Most of the selections were released on Vocalion 78 rpm records, but three songs and several interesting alternate takes remained unissued until they appeared on the Columbia albums. Six months later, on June 19 and 20, 1937, other recording sessions took place at the Warner Brothers/Vitagraph Building in Dallas, where, once again, ARC had set up its recording equipment to capture many different musicians. This time, 13 songs were recorded and 10 were released during the following year.^[8]

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Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[9]
Baltimore Sun	(favorable)[10]
Chicago Tribune	[11]
Down Beat	[12]
Entertainment Weekly	(A+)[13]
Los Angeles Times	(favorable)[14]
Q	[15]
Rolling Stone	[16]
Time	(favorable)[17]
Washington Post	(favorable)[18]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings	[19]

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While Robert Johnson's professional recording career can be measured in months, his musical legacy has survived more than 70 years. Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf, the two most prominent Chicago bluesmen of the 1950s, both had their roots in the Delta: Muddy was influenced by Johnson's records,^[20] and Wolf worked with Johnson in the Delta area.^[21] Johnson's emotive vocals, combined with his varied and masterful guitar playing, continue to influence modern blues and popular music performers.

The Chicago Tribune's Greg Kot wrote that The Complete Recordings, along with Clapton's The Layla Sessions (1990), survive as "monuments of 20th Century music that will rarely, if ever, be equaled."^[22]

In 2012, the album was ranked number 22 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.^[23]

For recording dates and original releases, see Robert Johnson recordings.

• Robert Johnson – acoustic guitar, vocals
• Don Law – original recording producer
• Vincent Liebler – original recording engineer
• Laurence Cohen – Columbia "Roots ‘n’ Blues Series" producer
• Frank Driggs – reissue producer
• Stephen LaVere – reissue producer

The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings reports that a 1995 rerelease of the album had improved sound, resulting from better source material and remastering. In addition to a maximum four-star rating, the guide awarded this reissue a “crown”, indicating a CD of exceptional merit.^[19]

A new remastered edition of the album was released in 2011 in commemoration of Johnson's 100th birthday. The Centennial Collection was released in both standard and deluxe editions.^[24] The track order was changed so that all of the alternate takes were placed at the end of the discs, rather than side by side with the master tracks—as the 1990 release had placed them.^[25] Included on this edition, is a previously unissued take of "Traveling Riverside Blues" (DAL.400-1) which was previously thought to be one of 19 Robert Johnson Recordings that were lost or destroyed. It was found in the archives of Alan Lomax, which had been purchased by the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress.^[26]

• King of the Delta Blues Singers
• King of the Delta Blues Singers, Vol. II