Blues Legacy: San Antonio Hotel Books Grandson for 90th Anniversary

Steven Johnson will step back into Room 414 at the Gunter Hotel in San Antonio this November to record new music. The session marks 90 years since his grandfather, Robert Johnson, recorded in that same space in 1936. The hotel will host a three day event from November 12 to 14 to commemorate the anniversary.

Johnson, a blues musician, plans to use the hotel's Gunter Studio to cut tracks for an upcoming album. The Robert Johnson Blues Foundation is scheduled to release the record. His grandfather was a 25 year old guitarist from Mississippi who checked into the hotel in 1936. The material he recorded there later influenced major acts such as Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones, and Led Zeppelin.

The recording process will lead into a live showcase in the Crystal Ballroom on Saturday. Pedal steel guitarist Robert Randolph, who won his first Grammy for Preacher Kids, will perform alongside Texas blues rock guitarist Ally Venable. The Steve L. Johnson Band will also take the stage. Marco Cervantes, a professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio who performs as Mexstep, will serve as the emcee. Tickets for the event start at $59.

Programming at the hotel will extend beyond the ballroom throughout the weekend. On Thursday, producer Michael Ramos will lead tours of the Gunter Studio from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. A Robert Johnson Revue featuring Nicky Diamonds will follow in the Studio Lounge from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The Aaron Stephens Trio will play at Bar 414 from 9:00 p.m. to midnight.

Friday activities include a conversation with the Robert Johnson Family moderated by Hector Saldaña in the Gunter Studio Lounge from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Tomar & The FCs and Jordan Matthew Young will perform in the Crystal Ballroom from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Nick Brown & The Blues Cruise will follow at Bar 414 from 10:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.

The Gunter Hotel reopened in 2025 after a $70 million renovation. The property has integrated its musical history into its operations by opening the recording studio to emerging artists and maintaining a record lending library in the lobby. Owner Jiwon Choi stated in a release that the hotel is honored to bring talented people together to celebrate its history and Johnson's legacy. Every guest room at the hotel now includes a turntable and a copy of the King of the Delta Blues Singers album.