twar standards, known to virtually every bluesman. "Some of the things that he did with that guitar effected the way everybody played" (Guralnick 37). Johnson familiarized a whole generation with his walking bass (not entirely original, Robert adapted his style from that of the great Charlie Patton) which is widely used by guitarists of several genres of music including Stevie Ray Vaughn, and Eric Clapton among others. He also introduced the boogie woogie style of guitar playing, adapted from the piano played during the time period, which was later used and adapted by several bluesmen including Muddy Waters and Howling Wolf. Thus people began to add their own bass parts to their guitar pieces, complementing their own music by mixing both lead and bass into their pieces (Jimi Hendirx is a prime example). "Terraplane Blues," which sold somewhere from four to five thousand copies, is probably the piece for which Johnson is remembered most. Robert again met with the recording company in Dallas, Texas to cut his final 14 tracks. The men met in the mezzanine floor of the Gunter Hotel inside a closed, hot room. The drapes were closed to keep out the sounds of the busy Dallas public, and the room grew to immense temperatures. Robert concluded the session shirtless performing , "Me and the Devil Blues". Robert Johnson left the recording studio on Sunday, June 20, 1937. He hooked up briefly with Shines and they traveled together for a short while, performing throughout Texas. Then, while traveling through Arkansas, Shines stayed in Little Rock with his mother while Robert continued on. He met up again with Robert shortly after and once again began traveling. Fourteen months after Johnson’s final recordings in Dallas, he was murdered. There are many speculations as to how Robert’s death came about. The most coherent story is that he was playing in for a house party when he was poisoned by a jealous husband. Johnson̵...
