Before he died in 1938, with the help of
H. C. Speir, Johnson recorded 29 songs for the
American Record Corporation (ARC). His complete canon of recordings includes these 29 masters, plus 13 surviving alternate takes, all recorded at two ARC sessions held in
San Antonio and
Dallas, Texas. The
Mississippi Delta—200 miles of fertile lowlands stretching from
Memphis, Tennessee, in the North to
Vicksburg, Mississippi, in the South—was one of the primary locales in which the blues originated and developed. He is said to have been heavily influenced by early blues artists like
Skip James, who was recorded in 1931, around the same time that Johnson amazed his elders with his mastery of the guitar. James's eerie, distinctive style is reflected throughout Johnson's recordings, especially "32-20 Blues," which he adapted from James's "22-20 Blues." Johnson's first session in San Antonio took place over three days – November 23, 26, and 27, 1936. Sixteen songs were recorded in the
Gunter Hotel, where ARC had set up equipment to record several musical artists. "
Kind Hearted Woman Blues" was the first song recorded. Also captured in San Antonio were "
I Believe I'll Dust My Broom" and "
Sweet Home Chicago," both of which became post-war blues standards. "
Terraplane Blues," known for its metaphoric lyrics, became a regional hit and Johnson's signature song. Most of the selections were released on Vocalion
78 rpm records, but three songs and several interesting alternate takes remained unissued until they appeared on the Columbia albums. Six months later, on June 19 and 20, 1937, other recording sessions took place at the Warner Brothers/Vitagraph Building in Dallas, where, once again, ARC had set up its recording equipment to capture many different musicians. This time, 13 songs were recorded and 10 were released during the following year. ==Reception and influence==