Gunter Hotel Sets Three-Day Blues Event for November 12 to 14

Guests at the San Antonio Gunter Hotel will witness a direct continuation of a 1936 musical event from November 12 through 14. The hotel is organizing a three-day tribute to mark the 90th anniversary of the session where Robert Johnson, a 25-year-old guitarist from Mississippi, recorded material that influenced decades of popular music. The event centers on the physical location of that original work, as Johnson’s grandson, Steven Johnson, will return to the property.

Steven Johnson plans to track new material in room 414, the specific hotel room where his grandfather recorded nearly a century ago. He will also utilize the Gunter Studio to cut an upcoming album for release by the Robert Johnson Blues Foundation. The 1936 recordings inspired major acts including Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones, and Led Zeppelin, establishing a lineage that the hotel intends to acknowledge through this new production.

The weekend culminates in a showcase at the Crystal Ballroom on Saturday, November 14. Pedal steel guitarist Robert Randolph, who recently won his first Grammy for the album Preacher Kids, will perform alongside Texas blues-rock guitarist Ally Venable and the Steve L. Johnson Band. Marco Cervantes, a professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio who performs under the name Mexstep, will serve as emcee. Tickets for the event begin at $59.

Programming extends across the hotel properties over the three days. On Thursday, November 12, producer Michael Ramos leads tours of the Gunter Studio from 5 to 7 p.m. The Robert Johnson Revue featuring Nicky Diamonds performs in the Studio Lounge from 7 to 9 p.m., followed by the Aaron Stephens Trio at Bar 414 from 9 p.m. to midnight. Friday, November 13, includes a conversation with the Robert Johnson Family moderated by Hector Saldaña from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Gunter Studio Lounge. Tomar & The FCs and Jordan Matthew Young play in the Crystal Ballroom from 8 to 10 p.m., while Nick Brown & The Blues Cruise perform at Bar 414 from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Saturday concludes the event with the ballroom showcase running from 7 to 10:15 p.m. The Eve Monsees Trio follows at Bar 414 from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. The Gunter Hotel reopened in 2025 after a $70 million renovation and has since integrated musical heritage into its operations. The hotel opened its recording studio to emerging artists and maintains a record lending library in the lobby. It has formed a music council that includes Adrian Quesada of Black Pumas, Will and Noel Bridges of Antone's Nightclub, and Garrett T. Capps. Every guest room contains a turntable and a copy of King of the Delta Blues Singers.

Hotel owner Jiwon Choi stated in a release that the Gunter is honored to bring talented people together to celebrate the hotel's history and Robert Johnson's legacy. Choi said it is the hotel's mission to celebrate those who came before and encourage future generations of artists that may come through the doors.