Robert Randolph headlines San Antonio's 90th anniversary blues weekend
The grandson of Robert Johnson will cut a new album in the same San Antonio hotel room where his grandfather recorded in 1936.
By Meera Fletcher ·
Steven Johnson will return to Room 414 at the Gunter Hotel in San Antonio to record a new album. The room holds a specific weight in music history because Robert Johnson, the blues guitarist, checked in there in November 1936. The 25-year-old Mississippi native recorded material during that stay, a session that later influenced major acts like Led Zeppelin and Eric Clapton. Johnson’s upcoming recording is part of a three-day event scheduled for November 12 to 14.
The Robert Johnson Blues Foundation is set to release the new album. Johnson will use both the historic hotel room and the property’s Gunter Studio for the sessions. This recording work serves as the anchor for a larger weekend program designed to mark the 90th anniversary of the original 1936 session. The hotel has integrated these events into a broader schedule that includes live performances and guided tours.
Saturday, November 14, features the main showcase in the Crystal Ballroom. Robert Randolph, who recently won his first Grammy for Preacher Kids, will headline the event. He will perform with Texas blues-rock guitarist Ally Venable and the Steve L. Johnson Band. Marco Cervantes, a professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio who performs as Mexstep, will emcee the show. Tickets for the ballroom event start at $59.
Programming begins on Thursday, November 12, with Gunter Studio tours led by producer Michael Ramos from 5 to 7 p.m. A Robert Johnson Revue featuring Nicky Diamonds will follow in the Studio Lounge from 7 to 9 p.m. The Aaron Stephens Trio is scheduled to play at Bar 414 from 9 p.m. to midnight.
Friday, November 13, includes a conversation with the Robert Johnson Family moderated by Hector Saldaña in the Gunter Studio Lounge from 6 to 7 p.m. Tomar & The FCs and Jordan Matthew Young will perform in the Crystal Ballroom from 8 to 10 p.m. Nick Brown & The Blues Cruise will take the stage at Bar 414 from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.
The Gunter Hotel reopened in 2025 following a $70 million renovation. Since then, the property has emphasized its musical roots by opening the recording studio to emerging artists and maintaining a record lending library in the lobby. A music council formed by the hotel includes Adrian Quesada, co-founder of Black Pumas, along with Will and Noel Bridges of Antone's Nightclub and Garrett T. Capps. Every guest room contains a turntable and a copy of King of the Delta Blues Singers.
Jiwon Choi, the hotel owner, stated in a release that the Gunter is honored to bring talented people together to celebrate the property's history. Choi noted that the mission is to honor those who came before and encourage future generations of artists who pass through the hotel doors.
Source: CultureMap San Antonio
