He sold his soul to play to the devil to play like that. Johnson moved in with the guitarist for more than a year, and became his pupil, and the two toured together for another year. In addition to Zimmerman, Johnson must have picked up on techniques and inspiration from other blues players. Primary influences would have been Henry Sloan, the originator of the blues, who taught the father of the blues, Charlie Patton, as well as Son House and Willie Brown.
These four musicians all came from what is often regarded as ground zero of the blues: the Dockery Plantation in Mississippi. From until he died in , Johnson travelled around the south-east of the US as a touring musician, performing in Mississippi, Arkansas, Texas and Kentucky, and even as far as Chicago, New York and Ontario.
Apparently Johnson knew how to handle audiences, and was happy to please crowds with popular country, ragtime, music hall or pop tunes of the day. His step-sister Annye Anderson confirms that Johnson played a wide range of repertoire, not just the blues, but that he was always interested in the most contemporary music around. Johnson played a Gibson L-1, a model that has become synonymous with his name. During these sessions Johnson recorded his entire known catalogue of 29 songs.
Eleven of these were released during his lifetime, in the , on the Vocalion label. Just over a year after his second recording session, Robert Johnson died, on August 16, , near Greenwood, Mississippi, at the age of The account of him being poisoned by a jealous bar owner for flirting with his wife is one of several.
So what made Johnson have such a huge impact decades after his death? My theory is divergent and based on facts of the times. One , song is Crossroad Blues, not Crossroads. A crossroad is the junction of a country road and a railroad line. Nuff said, people. I believe the whole bunch of you are full of corn on this matter. Roads were bad and the rich owned the autos in the deep South.
I agree I went their I I think I found the track s you are talking about. I got an old town map and followed the real highways and the tracks I came across seems more believable. Thanks for listening. Went their from Chicago and followed the trail all the way to clarksdale Ms. And looked at old maps and I believe that I found it in my opinion.
Railroad tracks and road Erie feeling. I went their and looked on a old town map and came close to where I think the train tracks and highway crossed. Visited Morgan Freedman juke joint ground zero and the the blues museum what a life changing experience. Long live the blues…. At Ground Zero, the food was good…music bad. Amateur night I guess. Or, maybe he did.
I too have done a little research on the matter of the crossroads, and while in the end the mythology may well be larger than life itself, in my opinion, informed sources place the crossroads just outside the small town of Lula, Mississippi. The 61 highway has since been stubbed off and routed southwest, but it originally followed the train track out to highway Remote, lonely, dark, small swampy area, trees.
On the way to the bridge that crosses over the Mississippi River to Helena. What no one mentions is his death at age They were successful in music. Satan is said to be associated with music. It is a distraction to think of the crossroads as a physical place rather than a very important choice. It is not unusual for for hard drinking hard living youth in the position of fame especially to succumb at age People attach the wrong meanings to so much its a wonder we are all still alive as a species.
I noted that he played some of Jimmie Rodgers music a musician that I listened to with my Grandma when I was quite young! Thanks for posting all of this information about R.
This is not at all a good movie to learn about Robert Johnson but the movie crossroads goes into a little detail about him and Willie Brown, If you are a blues man then you will love this movie.
Trying to find out who is the mother of Claud L. See: FindAGrave. I am a big genealogy hobbyist! Just recently learned of this man and the history behind his life. Very interesting stuff.. Kudos udiscover! Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Part of the lasting mythology around him is a story of how he gained his musical talents by making a bargain with the devil: Son House, a famed blues musician and a contemporary of Johnson, claimed after Johnson achieved fame that the musician had previously been a decent harmonica player, but a terrible guitarist—that is, until Johnson disappeared for a few weeks in Clarksdale, Mississippi.
Legend has it that Johnson took his guitar to the crossroads of Highways 49 and 61, where he made a deal with the devil, who retuned his guitar in exchange for his soul. Strangely enough, Johnson returned with an impressive technique and, eventually, gained renown as a master of the blues.
While his reported "deal with the devil" may be unlikely, it is true that Johnson died at an early age. Only 27, Johnson died on August 16, , as the suspected victim of a deliberate poisoning. Several movies and documentaries have tried to shed light on this enigmatic blues legend, including Can't You Hear the Wind Howl? We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us!
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