Downtown Hotel Announces Birthday Celebration Honoring Blues Legend Robert Johnson
Downtown Hotel Announces BD Celebration
The iconic and historic Gunter Hotel, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, is proud to share details on a major celebration slated for Friday, May 8, 2026. The celebration will honor Robert Johnson, the famous Blues musician who recorded one of only two albums during his storied career at The Gunter in room 414 in 1936 . The celebration on May 8 will mark what would have been Robert Johnson’s 115th birthday. This event is the first of its kind to be hosted at the hotel, which recently reopened after a $57M major renovation.
The all-day celebration will feature a panel discussion on Robert Johnson and his seminal role in blues and American music, a birthday celebration in the vinyl listening space in the lobby, a concert in the historic Crystal Ballroom featuring Sue Foley, The Peterson Brothers and Nicky Diamonds, three subsequent nights of blues shows, as well as a late night blues jam at Bar 414 following the Crystal Ballroom concert.
“This place has had music in its walls for over a century and from day one of this renovation, we felt the weight of that,” said Jiwon Choi, Owner and Managing Director at Axle Capital. “Celebrating the man who helped make this hotel legendary is just one of the ways we’re honoring that legacy and continuing to build on it.”
The programming schedule for May 8 is as follows:
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4 – 5 PM: Panel Discussion: Robert Johnson & His Legacy
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This panel discussion featuring Alex Peterson, Glenn Peterson Jr., Nicky Diamonds, Colin Hancock and moderator Bria Woods of KRTU will touch on the musical impact Robert Johnson has had on the evolution of blues, its deep roots in Texas, and its relevance in today’s music landscape. The discussion will be held in the Gunter Studio Lounge on the second floor of the hotel.
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The panel is free to attend, but space is limited, so reservations are required. Interested parties can reserve their spots HERE. Guests are also encouraged to arrive early and enjoy bar service in the Studio Lounge before the discussion begins.
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5 – 6 PM: Robert Johnson Birthday Party
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The public is invited to come together in the lobby of the Gunter Hotel to officially celebrate Robert Johnson’s birthday with cake, coffee, a vinyl set featuring Robert Johnson’s works, an original poem from former San Antonio Poet Laureate Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson and more.
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The event is free and open to the public, but reservations are required. They can be made HERE.
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7:30 – 10:30 PM: Live Music Concert Featuring Sue Foley, The Peterson Brothers and Nicky Diamonds
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Sue Foley is a celebrated Blues guitarist that has shared the stage with legends like B.B. King, Buddy Guy and more. She even hosted a virtual concert from room 414 during the pandemic. The Peterson Brothers are a duo composed of Glenn Jr. on vocals and guitar, and Alex, a GRAMMY® award-winning artist, on bass, vocals and violin. Their unique sound is a blend of Soul, Funk, Blues and Jazz. Nicky Diamonds is an Afro-Indigenous Country-Roots/Blues Musician and a San Antonio native. As a child, Nicky was inspired by Robert Johnson – so much so that he tried unsuccessfully to sneak into room 414 of the Gunter Hotel. Now he’s back to officially pay homage to the legend that started it all.
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This ticketed concert will take place in the Crystal Ballroom of the Gunter Hotel. Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson will emcee the event. VIP tickets are $75 and include premium seating at cabaret tables with an up-close view of the stage and banquet style seating for a comfortable, elevated experience. Theatre Seating tickets are available for $55 and include reserved theater-style seating located just behind the cabaret section. General Admission (standing room only) tickets are available for $40.
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Tickets can be purchased HERE.
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9 PM – 12 AM: Bar 414 Blues Jam
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To wrap up the night, Blues musicians and enthusiasts are invited to join a Blues Jam Session at Bar 414, led by the Chris Cuevas Project. The jam session invites artists, musicians and music lovers alike to come together for an organic, high-energy close to the day’s festivities. Anyone can attend, but space is limited. The event is 21+ only.
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In addition to the Robert Johnson event, the Gunter will be singing the blues throughout the weekend with live music at Bar 414, featuring Jacob Kyle at 9 PM on Thursday, May 7 and the Eve Monsees Trio at 9 PM on Saturday, May 9.
Furthermore, to help celebrate the occasion, the Gunter Hotel will offer a special booking package to help guests make the most of their stay. The Stay Legendary Package includes: Two General Admission tickets to the Robert Johnson Birthday Celebration Concert (with meet & greet), a Robert Johnson vinyl record to take-home, a limited-edition Robert Johnson birthday commemorative poster signed by the concert artists, a Gunter Studio T-Shirt and discounted valet parking. The package is available to book now through May 8, 2026. Valid stay dates are May 7 – May 9, 2026. Availability is limited.
A Century of Sound
The Gunter Hotel’s relationship with music is not a recent discovery, rather it is a legacy more than a century in the making. In the hotel’s early days, legendary big band leaders including Alphonse Trent, Mack Rogers and Henry Lange held residencies within the Gunter’s own celebrated venues, like The Cave, The Keystone Club, the Rose Room and the grand Crystal Ballroom. Jimmie Rodgers, the Father of Country Music and one of America’s most celebrated songsmiths, called the Gunter home throughout his life, performing here and cementing the hotel’s place in the American musical canon.
No moment defined that legacy more indelibly than November 1936, when blues visionary Robert Johnson walked into Room 414 and recorded what would become some of the most influential recordings in music history. That session gave birth to “King of the Delta Blues Singers” and sent reverberations through generations of artists. Musicians, including John Mellencamp, have made the pilgrimage to Room 414 ever since, drawn by the room’s mythic creative energy.
A Bright Musical Future at The Gunter
In addition to celebrations like the Robert Johnson birthday extravaganza, the Gunter Hotel is committed to paying homage to its musical roots. Each guest room features a record player and a copy of “King of the Delta Blues Singers,” connecting every guest directly to the moment that made Room 414 famous. A vinyl lending library of nearly 1,000 records, curated with the help of the hotel’s onsite Vinyl Ambassadors, accomplished DJs and devoted music aficionados, invites guests to score their own stay. At Bar 414, named for the room that put the Gunter on the musical map, live music is a weekly constant, showcasing the artists and sounds of San Antonio and Texas in a space that has always known how to hold a crowd.
The cherry on top of the hotel’s devotion to music will come when the state-of-the-art Gunter Studio, a recording studio designed by noted producer and musician Michael Ramos and acoustician Steve Durr, opens this summer. The Studio will be a resource for the next generation of musicians and producers in San Antonio and be available to students and nonprofits as a resource for supporting and inculcating creativity in the community. More details about the Gunter Studio will follow in the weeks to come.
To help ensure the proper reverence to the space is given, the Gunter Hotel has formed a special musical council to advise on programming, the recording experience and more. The council currently includes members like blues musician Nicky Diamonds, musical advocate Celeste Quesada, musician and producer Adrian Quesada of the GRAMMY® award-winning Black Pumas, Will and Noel Bridges of Antone’s Nightclub, San Antonio’s own Joe Reyes and cosmic cowboy Garrett T. Caps.
For updates and happenings at the Gunter Hotel, follow along on Instagram and Facebook. For additional details about the hotel, visit www.thegunterhotel.com.
