- A1: Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground
- A2: Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed
- A3: It's Nobody's Fault But Mine
- A4: Mother's Children Have A Hard Time
- A5: I Know His Blood Can Make Me Whole
- A6: If I Had My Way I'd Tear The Building Down
- B1: I'm Gonna Run To The City Of Refuge
- B2: Jesus Is Coming Soon
- B3: Lord I Just Can't Keep From Crying
- B4: Keep Your Lamp Trimmed And Burning
- B5: John The Revelator
- B6: Go With Me To That Land
- B7: Everybody Ought To Treat A Stranger Right
More than anyone, Blind Willie Johnson embodies the archetype of the cursed bluesman. Despite the fact that his records have sold fairly well at his time, or that one of his ballads (Dark Was The Night, Cold as the Ground - that also gives the name to this compilation) was included on the Voyager disc launched into space in 1977, the American singer/preacher has lived his whole life in total misery. However, his powerful voice fascinates. His guitar style, a mixture of picking and slide, will influence several generations of musicians. And like many of his contemporaries, it was not until the 1960s that his talent would finally be recognized at its fair value (via the work of the brilliant Reverend Gary Davis).




















