Robert Johnson

Robert Joseph Johnson, dear husband, father, and grandfather passed peacefully surrounded by family in Plano, Texas on February 13, 2023, at the age of 72.

Robert was born on April 24, 1950, in Scottsburg, Indiana, the second and youngest child of Dorothy Johnson (Fleenor) and Paul Johnson.

Robert was interested in music at a young age and joined his first band in high school as a drummer.  A musical prodigy, Robert could pick up any instrument and play with ease.  As a teen, he was heavily influenced by The Beatles, enjoying writing music and playing guitar.  Robert and his older brother, Bill turned their love for music into a duo local club act, The Johnson Brothers.

After serving time in the Air Force Reserves, Robert moved to Florida in 1976, along with his family and bandmates to pursue the budding West Central Florida music scene.  In the early 1980s, he played music with artists such as Dickey Betts, The Allman Brothers, and Don Johnson, providing guitar and back-up vocals for some of their projects.

Robert spent most of his music career as a one-man act.  He gained success in the early 1990s topping the Southeast Florida charts with his cult hit Okeechobee Stew.  His sound was influenced by blues, country, and southern rock.  He was invited to play music at a celebration of the inauguration of Governor Lawton Chiles.  As a member of ASCAP, he once received a letter from the entity asking about a re-release of Cross Road Blues, to which he replied that sadly they had the wrong Robert Johnson.

Robert moved to the Bitterroot Valley of Montana in the mid-2000s, where he continued to play music in local establishments and events until his retirement.  In 2020, he and his wife, Laura, and his beloved dog, Bravo, moved to north Texas to be near his oldest daughter’s family, where he spent his final years.

He loved all animals and had many pets throughout his life.  Robert was known for rescuing strays, and he loved his pets with all his heart.  He was a lifelong fan of the Boston Red Sox.  He enjoyed creating art through a variety of mediums and became a master at Photoshop in his later years.  Robert had an infectious laugh and a wonderful sense of humor.  An intelligent deep thinker, he spent much of his retirement researching and pondering current events, politics, and American history.

Robert is survived by his dear wife Laura, daughters Beth (Jim) McCormack, Becky (Douglas) Fisher, and Meagan (David) Eppinger, sons Casey Johnson and Jesse (Cameo) Johnson, nephew Seth Johnson, and grandchildren Vivien, Silas, Jackson, Lincoln, Weston, Casey Jr., and Lawson. He was preceded in death by his mother and father, along with brother Bill Johnson and daughter Jessica Echols.