Like many destitute people with physical disabilities at the time, Blind Willie Johnson earned his living from music. He quickly picked up the twelve-string guitar, and his father would often leave him on street corners to sing for money, where his newfound powerful voice left an indelible impression on passersby (legend has it that he was arrested for nearly starting a riot at a New Orleans courthouse with a powerful rendition of "If I Had My Way I'd Tear the Building Down", a song about Samson and Delilah). This song was performed hundreds of times by the Grateful Dead, and the live recordings of their version of the song have helped preserve it for decades.
At age 25, Willie married a young singer named Angelina, who was the sister of blues guitarist L.C. Robinson. His wife sung with him in some of his 30 recordings with Columbia Records from 1927-1930. Some examples of which Angelina Johnson sung with him were songs such as "Church I'm Fully Saved Today", "When the War Was On", "John the Revelator", and "Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burning". John the Revelator would eventually be recorded by delta blues musician Son House, and his other song, Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burning, was recorded by another delta blues musician, Fred McDowell.
Johnson remained poor until the end, preaching and singing in the streets of Beaumont, Texas to anyone who would listen. In 1945, his home inexplicably burned to the ground. With nowhere else to go, Johnson lived in the burned ruins of his home, sleeping on a wet bed his wife had prepared for him. He lived like this until, two weeks later, he contracted pneumonia and died. Although there is some dispute as to where his actual gravesite is, concerned members of the Beaumont community have committed to finding the site, and preserving it.