Ike Zimmerman

Isaiah "Ike" Zimmerman (April 27, 1907 – August 3, 1967) was an American blues guitarist, who is now known to have been musician Robert Johnson's main guitar teacher.

Zimmerman (sometimes spelled Zinnerman) was born in Grady, Alabama. He married Ruth Sellers in the late 1920s, and lived with her and their children near Beauregard, Mississippi. He played guitar and harmonica in local juke joints, often practicing at night in local cemeteries where he would not disturb others. He became known for his guitar skills, and gave guitar lessons. Robert Johnson, who had been born in nearby Hazlehurst, came back to the area, probably around 1931, and was hoping to find his father, Noah Johnson. Johnson stopped to visit a local juke joint, where he saw Zimmerman perform.

Background According to one of Zimmerman's daughters, interviewed by blues researcher Bruce Conforth:He [Robert].. he fitted in our family, and he had to be nice, because my daddy was a strong man and ...a good man, my daddy was, and so he wouldn’t have taken up no time with someone who wasn’t a good person. That’s the reason that I believe that he [Ike] took [Robert] under his arm. And so he was just like a family member.... He came there and lived in our house. But.. he met my daddy in Its Itta Bena . That’s where they first met… Up in Its. The juke joints and stuff.... Robert Johnson asked my daddy to teach him how to play guitar…and my daddy taught him. He lived there with my daddy. .. he stayed a long time (because) he was staying to learn how to play the guitar… It seemed like to me he just took him for his family ‘cause… for a long time I thought he was related... And they was going at that guitar like some… I told my son "I can remember hearing that music". 'Cause it sounded just so good just like they was competing, he was teaching him then.

Living with Zimmerman's family for about a year, Johnson became known by his initials, "R.L.". After practising together while sitting on tombstones in Beauregard Cemetery – thought to be a contributory factor to the legend of Johnson "selling his soul to the Devil" in order to play well – the pair toured local lumber camps and juke joints before Johnson began performing on his own.