Blind Willie Johnson Tribute LP Featuring Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi & More
By Andy Kahn Feb 16, 2016 • 12:22 pm PST
On February 26, Alligator Records will officially release the tribute album God Don’t Never Change: The Songs Of Blind Willie Johnson featuring a diverse roster of artists covering legendary blues man Blind Willie Johnson’s songs. Today Pitchfork has made the entire LP available to stream.
The all-star group of musicians tapped for the tribute record includes Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi, Luther Dickinson featuring The Rising Star Fife & Drum Band, Tom Waits, Lucinda Williams, The Blind Boys Of Alabama, Rickie Lee Jones, Sinéad O’Connor, Cowboy Junkies and Maria McKee. The album was produced by Jeffrey Gaskill who has been working on the compilation release for years.
“Blind Willie Johnson touches everybody,” Dickinson said in a statement. “His music is so of the earth that it still sounds completely modern. It’s timeless and like nothing else ever recorded. If we could hip anybody to Blind Willie Johnson, their lives would be enriched for sure.”
“I never heard a slide player, even to this day, play with that much emotion,” said Trucks. “I’ve only heard a few things that have hit me quite that strongly. There’s something so honest about his recordings. He’s one of the few handful of musicians whose music really feels sacred to me. Johnson’s songs, lyrics and the ability to pair the slide with the voice were amazing. It feels like it came out of a different world.”
Stream God Don’t Never Change: The Songs Of Blind Willie Johnson below and enter here for a chance to win one of five copies of the album that JamBase is giving away:
God Don’t Never Change: The Songs Of Blind Willie Johnson Tracklist
- Tom Waits – The Soul of a Man
- Lucinda Williams – It’s Nobody’s Fault But Mine
- Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi – Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burning
- Cowboy Junkies – Jesus is Coming Soon
- The Blind Boys Of Alabama – Mother’s Children Have a Hard Time
- Sinéad O’Connor – Trouble Will Soon Be Over
- Luther Dickinson featuring The Rising Star Fife & Drum Band – Bye and Bye I’m Going to See the King
- Lucinda Williams – God Don’t Never Change
- Tom Waits – John The Revelator
- Maria McKee – Let Your Light Shine on Me
- Rickie Lee Jones – Dark Was the Night-Cold Was the Ground
