Grandson Records in Gunter Hotel Room 414 for 90th Anniversary

Steven Johnson is returning to Room 414 of the Gunter Hotel in San Antonio to record a new album. The blues musician and grandson of Robert Johnson will capture the sessions in the same suite where his grandfather worked in November 1936. The hotel has scheduled these recordings as the centerpiece of a three-day event honoring the 90th anniversary of the original session.

Johnson’s work in the room will also involve the hotel’s Gunter Studio. The Robert Johnson Blues Foundation plans to release the resulting album. The 1936 recordings made by the 25-year-old Mississippi guitarist have influenced major figures in popular music, including Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones, and Led Zeppelin.

The Gunter Hotel reopened in 2025 following a $70 million renovation. The property has integrated its musical history into its current operations by opening its studio to new artists and maintaining a record lending library in the lobby. Every guest room now contains a turntable and a copy of the album King of the Delta Blues Singers. A music council including Adrian Quesada of Black Pumas and Will and Noel Bridges of Antone's Nightclub advises the hotel on these initiatives.

Programming begins on Thursday, November 12, with producer Michael Ramos leading studio tours from 5 to 7 p.m. The Robert Johnson Revue featuring Nicky Diamonds will perform in the Studio Lounge from 7 to 9 p.m. The Aaron Stephens Trio will play at Bar 414 from 9 p.m. to midnight.

On Friday, November 13, the Robert Johnson Family will join moderator Hector Saldaña for a conversation in the Gunter Studio Lounge from 6 to 7 p.m. Tomar & The FCs and Jordan Matthew Young are scheduled to perform in the Crystal Ballroom from 8 to 10 p.m. Nick Brown & The Blues Cruise will follow at Bar 414 from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.

The main showcase occurs on Saturday, November 14, in the Crystal Ballroom from 7 to 10:15 p.m. Pedal steel guitarist Robert Randolph, who recently won his first Grammy, will perform alongside Ally Venable and the Steve L. Johnson Band. Marco Cervantes, a professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio who performs as Mexstep, will serve as emcee. The Eve Monsees Trio will play at Bar 414 from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. Tickets for the event start at $59.

Hotel owner Jiwon Choi stated that the property is honored to bring talented people together to celebrate its history. Choi added that the mission is to honor past artists and encourage future generations who may pass through the hotel.