Blind Willie Johnson

When Blind Willie Johnson was five, he told his father he was going to be a preacher, and made a one stringed guitar from a broomstick and a cigar box. When he was seven, his stepmother responded to a beating from Willie’s father by throwing caustic lye water into his eyes, permanently blinding the child. He earned a living, preaching and singing on street corners using a knife as a guitar slide and a tin-cup around his neck for tips.