In November 1936, Robert Johnson made music history when he recorded sixteen songs on the fourth floor of The Gunter Hotel. Now, 90 years later, we invite you to celebrate his extraordinary legacy as talented artists return to the very place where it all began for an unforgettable weekend of live music, special performances, and blues history.

The Robert Johnson 90th Anniversary Weekend runs November 12–14, 2026, in downtown San Antonio. The bill reaches across sacred steel, Texas blues-rock, acoustic country blues, Austin soul and roots music. And it includes The Steve L. Johnson Band, led by Robert Johnson’s grandson.

Every show offers an intimate and exclusive experience, bringing you closer to the stage and the music. Discover the talented artists taking the stage and what makes each of them a special part of this historic celebration. Seating is limited, so get your tickets while they last!

One Catalog, Many Genres

Discover the lasting influence of Robert Johnson’s legendary recordings as talented musicians from different genres come together to celebrate his extraordinary musical legacy. From a pedal steel player raised in church and a blues-rock guitarist from East Texas to a soul singer who grew up on the Chitlin’ Circuit and an acoustic player inspired by the same musicians who influenced Johnson, each artist brings a unique sound and story to the stage. Join us for three unforgettable nights of live music and experience how sixteen songs recorded in a San Antonio hotel continue to inspire generations of musicians 90 years later.

Saturday, November 14: The 90th Anniversary Showcase

The weekend’s main event takes over the Crystal Ballroom from 7:00 to 10:15 p.m., with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. Get Saturday tickets, starting at $59

Robert Randolph

Saturday’s headliner learned to play pedal steel in the House of God Church in Orange, New Jersey, where the sacred steel tradition dates to the 1930s, the same decade Robert Johnson recorded at The Gunter. He grew up hearing almost nothing but church music, then carried that sound into rock, blues and soul.

Robert Randolph leads the six-time Grammy-nominated Robert Randolph & The Family Band, has toured with Eric Clapton and played Austin City Limits. His solo album Preacher Kids, produced by Shooter Jennings and released on Sun Records, won the 2026 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album. You’ve heard his pedal steel on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter and Jon Batiste’s We Are. He has played with Santana, Dave Matthews Band, Taj Mahal, Sheryl Crow and Elton John. His story runs from sacred to secular, and it sits naturally beside the Johnson family’s own path from gospel to blues.

Ally Venable

Ally Venable grew up in Kilgore, Texas, singing in church at four. She picked up the guitar at 12 and started her first band at 13, drawn into the blues by Stevie Ray Vaughan. Her 2019 album Texas Honey reached No. 2 on the Billboard Blues Albums chart and took her across Europe on Ruf Records’ Blues Caravan tour.

Since then, she has recorded with Buddy Guy and Joe Bonamassa, cut a song with mentor Kenny Wayne Shepherd and supported Buddy Guy and Shepherd on tour. Guitar World named her one of the young players making the Gibson Les Paul cool again. She is the youngest artist on Saturday’s bill and one of the sharpest guitarists in Texas. Learn more at Ally Venable’s official site.

The Steve L. Johnson Band

Steven Johnson is Robert Johnson’s grandson. He came to the blues through gospel, singing in church long before he sang his grandfather’s songs. Today he serves as vice president of the Robert Johnson Blues Foundation and has performed his grandfather’s music across the United States and abroad, with players including Honeyboy Edwards, Hubert Sumlin and Big Head Todd & the Monsters.

In 2023, Steven and his friend and band manager Donovan Scott formed The Steve L. Johnson Band to keep Robert Johnson’s songs and sound alive on stage, alongside covers from the 1970s to today. Steven has stood in Room 414 before: in November 2015, he recorded vocals there, placing his microphone in the corner, facing away from the engineer, the way his grandfather did. On Saturday, he brings his grandfather’s songs back to the building where they were first recorded.

Friday, November 13: Tomar & The FCs in the Crystal Ballroom

Friday’s concert runs from 8 to 10 p.m., with doors at 7:30 p.m. Get Friday tickets, starting at $39.

Tomar & The FCs

If any band connects the weekend’s history to its present, it’s this one. Frontman Tomar Williams started out as a boy singing lead in his family’s band on the Chitlin’ Circuit, the network of Black-owned and Black-friendly venues that carried musicians through the segregated South and Southwest and brought performers to San Antonio’s East Side. His family settled in Austin in 1986 after playing Antone’s.

Williams spent the next decades as a keyboardist and producer, making tracks with his brother Salih for Houston rappers Big Moe and Mike Jones. In 2015, he stepped back to the front of the stage with an Austin instrumental band called the FCs. Tomar & The FCs have since won multiple Austin Music Awards and played ACL Fest, SXSW, Bonnaroo and Old Settlers Music Festival, along with regular nights at the Continental Club and Antone’s. Their fourth record, Soul Searching, came out in 2025. Come ready to move.

Jordan Matthew Young

Austin’s Jordan Matthew Young opens Friday night. A Top 3 finalist on Season 20 of NBC’s The Voice, he plays gritty Americana, roots and rock built on soulful guitar work. He has spent more than 15 years on the road, sharing stages with ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Marshall Tucker Band and Diana Ross.

Thursday, November 12: Studio Lounge Sessions with Nicky Diamonds

Studio Lounge Sessions with Nicky Diamonds takes place from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Studio Lounge located on the second floor, featuring intimate cabaret seating with tables for two. Get Thursday tickets, $30 in advance.

Nicky Diamonds

Nicky Diamonds was raised in San Antonio, the son of a Baptist pastor, and describes himself as an Afro-Indigenous country-roots and blues musician. He writes from old hymn books and his own family history, and he tours with a 95-year-old Dobro.

He fronted the San Antonio band Lonely Horse, which signed to an Atlantic Records imprint in 2016, then stepped away from music before returning under his own name. Willie Nelson saw his video for “Tirame un Paro” and invited him to the Luck Reunion. Since then, he has sung with Alicia Keys at Pilgrimage, recorded at Nelson’s studio in Spicewood and played the Black Opry Revue at AmericanaFest. He also sits on The Gunter’s music council. For Thursday’s Robert Johnson Revue, he plays an intimate acoustic set of the songs Johnson recorded at The Gunter in 1936, alongside originals they inspired.

Late Nights in Bar 414

Every night of the weekend ends in Bar 414, the speakeasy named for the room where Robert Johnson recorded. Admission is free, but space is limited, so arrive early.

Aaron Stephens Trio, Thursday, 9 p.m.–12 a.m.

Singer, songwriter and slide guitarist Aaron Stephens works from Chicago blues roots and South Texas ground, moving between blues, soul, jazz and American roots music. He has played Austin City Limits Music Festival.

Nick Brown & The Blues Cruise, Friday, 10 p.m.–1 a.m.

San Antonio’s own blues band, and regulars downtown, Nick Brown & The Blues Cruise keep Friday going after the Crystal Ballroom lets out, with a set built on B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Freddie King.

Eve Monsees Trio, Saturday, 10 p.m.–1 a.m.

Eve Monsees came up through the Austin blues jams at Antone’s, where Clifford Antone brought her onstage as a teenager alongside players like James Cotton and Pinetop Perkins. She co-owns Antone’s Record Shop, leads Eve & the Exiles, has toured Europe with the Blues Caravan and is one of the most fluent traditional blues players in Texas. She closes the weekend.

Recording Studio Tours with Michael Ramos

Michael Ramos leads free tours of The Gunter Studio on Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. The Grammy-winning multi-instrumentalist runs Brown Recluse Recording Studio in Austin, has recorded and toured with John Mellencamp, Paul Simon and Robert Plant, and helped design The Gunter Studio with acoustician Steven Durr. He built the room, so he’s the right person to show it to you.

A Special Conversation with Steven Johnson and the Robert Johnson Family

Hector Saldaña moderates Friday’s free conversation with the Robert Johnson family, including Steven Johnson, from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Studio Lounge. He is curator of the Texas Music Collection at The Wittliff Collections at Texas State University, wrote about music for the San Antonio Express-News for more than two decades, and founded the San Antonio band the Krayolas.

Get Your Tickets Before They’re Gone

Join us for three unforgettable nights of live music, legendary performances, and blues history at The Gunter Hotel, the very place where Robert Johnson first recorded his iconic songs. This one-of-a-kind celebration brings music lovers together for an intimate experience honoring his incredible legacy. Tickets are limited and selling quickly, so secure yours today and be part of this historic weekend!

• Thursday: Robert Johnson Revue featuring Nicky Diamonds, $30 in advance
• Friday: Tomar & The FCs with Jordan Matthew Young, from $39
• Saturday: The 90th Anniversary Showcase, from $59

A portion of proceeds from ticketed events benefits the Robert Johnson Blues Foundation.

Making the trip? Make your concert experience even more memorable with our exclusive Stay Legendary Getaway Offer, available to concert ticket holders. Enjoy 20% off our Best Available Rate, a commemorative Robert Johnson vinyl record, and late checkout, subject to availability. Simply purchase your concert tickets, then book your Stay Legendary Getaway and experience a legendary stay at the hotel where it all began.

For the complete event schedule, explore Ninety Years Later, Three Nights of Music.

Lineup FAQ

Who is headlining the Robert Johnson 90th Anniversary Weekend? Robert Randolph headlines Saturday’s 90th Anniversary Showcase in the Crystal Ballroom on November 14, 2026, alongside Ally Venable and The Steve L. Johnson Band, led by Robert Johnson’s grandson, Steven Johnson, while Tomar & The FCs headline Friday’s performance on November 13, 2026.

Is Robert Randolph playing San Antonio? Yes. Robert Randolph plays The Gunter Hotel’s Crystal Ballroom in downtown San Antonio on Saturday, November 14, 2026.

Is Ally Venable playing San Antonio in 2026? Yes. Ally Venable plays the 90th Anniversary Showcase at The Gunter Hotel on Saturday, November 14, 2026.

Who is Steven Johnson? Steven Johnson is Robert Johnson’s grandson. He leads The Steve L. Johnson Band, which plays Saturday’s showcase, and joins Friday’s family conversation.

Which shows are free? The Thursday studio tours, Friday’s family conversation and all three late-night Bar 414 sets are free, with limited space.