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  • Dark Was the Night: Blind Willie Johnson's Journey to the Stars

Dark Was the Night: Blind Willie Johnson's Journey to the Stars

Author
Illustrator
E B Lewis
Publication Date
August 25, 2020
Genre / Grade Band
Non-fiction /  2nd − 3rd
Language
English
Format
Picture Book
Dark Was the Night: Blind Willie Johnson's Journey to the Stars

Currently out of stock
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.

Publication date
August 25, 2020
Genre
Non-fiction
ISBN-13
9781524738884
Publisher
Nancy Paulsen Books
BISAC categories
JNF007040 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography & Autobiography | Music
JNF051010 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Technology | Aeronautics, Astronautics & Space Science
JNF053180 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Social Topics | Special Needs
Library of Congress categories
United States
Blues musicians
Johnson, Blind Willie
Gary Golio
Gary Golio is a fine artist and a clinical social worker/psychotherapist who works with children and teens, specializing in the area of addiction. This is his first book. He lives in Ossining, New York. To learn more, please visit www.garygolio.com. Javaka Steptoe is a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award-winner who has created several books for children. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. To learn more, please visit www.javaka.com.