Songfacts®:

• In the Bible, Jesus performed miracles like giving eyesight to the blind. In this blues classic, Sonny Boy Williamson sings about a girl who can perform similar miracles, just because she's so hot.
• "Eyesight To The Blind" was one of Williamson's first singles. Later in 1951, the song was covered by The Larks.
  
  Williamson didn't start recording until later in life - it's not clear exactly when he was born but he was probably about 40. Even more confounding, he's not the only Sonny Boy Williamson.
  
  A different Sonny Boy Williamson (born John Lee Williamson) built a following in the Chicago blues scene in the 1930s and 1940s, but he didn't travel to the South. The "Eyesight To The Blind" singer was born Alex Miller and using the name Rice Miller when he was asked to pose as Sonny Boy Williamson for an Arkansas radio show. He did, and listeners had no idea he was faking it. When John Lee Williamson was murdered in 1948, Rice Miller became Sonny Boy Williamson full time, assuming the name. He made a name for himself writing and recording more popular blues songs, including "Help Me" and "Bring It On Home."
• Notable cover versions have been recorded by Aerosmith, Gary Moore, Michael Bloomfield and Mose Allison. The Who also used it in their Rock Opera Tommy, where it was performed in the film by Eric Clapton, who played The Preacher. It's used in a scene where Tommy, who is blind, is taken by his mother to be healed at a shrine to Marilyn Monroe.