Ike Zimmerman

Zimmerman himself never made any recordings, though he performed widely in Mississippi. He gave up playing blues music, probably in the 1950s, and became a Pentecostal minister. He moved to California around 1960, and died in Compton, Los Angeles, from a heart attack in 1967, aged 60.

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. When he returned to his home in Clarksdale, Johnson impressed locals with how much his performing skills had improved during his time away, and, in 1936 and 1937, recorded the songs that eventually secured his status as one of the most important and influential blues performers. Members of Zimmerman's family have claimed that some of Johnson's songs, including "Ramblin' on My Mind", were in fact written by Zimmerman before Johnson stayed with the household, and others including "Dust My Broom" and "Come On In My Kitchen" were written by Johnson and Zimmerman together.

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 practising 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 sought out Zimmerman with the intention of improving his fingerpicking and bottleneck guitar skills.

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.