Dark Was the Night
Blind Willie Johnson's Journey to the Stars
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
The poignant story of Blind Willie Johnson--the legendary Texas musician whose song "Dark Was the Night" was included on the Voyager I space probe's Golden Record
Willie Johnson was born in 1897, and from the beginning he loved to sing--and play his cigar box guitar. But his childhood was interrupted when he lost his mother and his sight. How does a blind boy make his way in the world? Fortunately for Willie, the music saved him and brought him back into the light. His powerful voice, combined with the wailing of his slide guitar, moved people. Willie made a name for himself performing on street corners all over Texas. And one day he hit it big when he got a record deal and his songs were played on the radio. Then in 1977, his song--"Dark Was the Night"--was chosen to light up the darkness when it was launched into space on the Voyager I space probe's famous Golden Record. His immortal song was selected for the way it expresses the loneliness humans all feel, while reminding us we're not alone.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The inclusion of Johnson's song "Dark Was the Night" on a recording aboard NASA's Voyager frames this biography, handled with artistry by Golio and illustrated by Lewis in dazzling watercolors. Golio explains that in 1977, a collection of Earth's music was launched into deep space, which included "a musician, playing his guitar and humming a tune of light and dark." Information about Johnson (1897 1945) is scant, but the creators make the most of it: "You were born in the light, Willie Johnson," Golio begins, as Lewis paints Willie's mother cradling her infant close, her smile as warm in the sunshine. He loses her while he's still young, then loses his sight. But his playing and singing gain notoriety, and eventually a man from a record company hears him. The volume movingly commemorates Johnson and his music, which "shined a light in the darkness and finally touched the stars." Ages 5 8.
