The 11th Child
Johnson was born in Hazelhurst, Mississippi, around May 8, 1911. Between then and August 16, 1938 (27 years later), he lived a remarkable life. One that warranted the description of “The greatest singer, the greatest writer.” Johnson passed away at Three Forks, near Greenwood, Mississippi. This was during a time when life expectancy was shorter than today’s. And Johnson’s was cut even shorter.
Source: robertjohnsonbluesfoundation.org
Robert’s mother, Julia, had 10 children before Robert was even born. All 10 were born in wedlock, by the way, with her sharecropper husband named Charles Dodds. Julia was around 40 years old when Robert was born (this time, illegitimately). His father was a plantation worker named Noah Johnson. It was probably because her husband Charles wasn’t around.