 Little is known about Johnson 's life and musical career , although his recordings are well documented . In October 1936 , Johnson auditioned for music store owner and sometime talent scout H. C. <unk> in Jackson , Mississippi ; <unk> passed on Johnson 's contact information to Ernie <unk> , who was a representative for ARC Records . After a second audition , <unk> arranged for Johnson to travel to San Antonio , Texas , for a recording session . Johnson recorded 22 songs for ARC over three days from November 23 to 27 , 1936 . During the first session , he recorded his most commercially appealing songs . They mostly represented his original pieces and reflected current , piano @-@ influenced musical trends . The songs include " Terraplane Blues " ( his first single and most popular record ) along with " Sweet Home Chicago " and " I Believe I 'll Dust My Broom " , which became blues standards after others recorded them . 
