Songfacts®:

• According to Dave Rubin in Robert Johnson - King Of The Delta Blues, this song, written in 6/4 time, was the first song ever recorded by the legendary bluesman, on November 23, 1936, at San Antonio, Texas. It also contains the only guitar solo Johnson ever recorded, although it is not of any length.
• The sheet music is copyright 1978, 1990, 1991 by King Of Spades Music.
• Running to 2:52, "Kind Hearted Woman Blues" was the B-side of "Terraplane Blues," which was released in March 1937.
• The identity of the woman in the song is not known, although from the little that is known about the composer, she may have been another man's wife. Although Robert Johnson married in May 1931, at some point he sired a child out of wedlock, and died August 16, 1938 aged only 27 after drinking whisky at a juke joint, and according to legend if not fact he was poisoned by a jealous husband. Having said that, the song may have been inspired by "Mean Mistreater Mama" by his contemporary Leroy Carr. >>>

  Suggestion credit:
  Alexander Baron - London, England, for all above