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Who influenced Robert Johnson’s guitar style?

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B.B. King playing an electric guitar with an expressive face, wearing a plaid jacket, June 19, 1979. — Mississippi Delta blues Mississippi-born blues legend B.B. King, 1979.

Robert Johnson’s guitar style was shaped by a variety of influences he encountered throughout his life. During his time in Robinsonville, Mississippi, he came into contact with Mississippi Delta blues masters including Willie Brown, Charley Patton, and Son House.12

Additionally, Johnson refined his technique by studying the single-string picking styles of Lonnie Johnson and Scrapper Blackwell. Music historian Robert Palmer also noted that Johnson received direct instruction from guitarist Ike Zinneman (or Zimmerman) during a period of time away from Robinsonville, where he was exposed to a wide variety of musical influences. Furthermore, Johnson drew inspiration from the work of other blues artists, such as Skip James, and incorporated techniques he learned from various recordings.123