Robert Johnson

[muppetintherye]

Am I the only person who likes Robert Johnson in this forum?

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Not if you're talking about the bluesman, Robert Johnson. Heck, if it weren't for him the blues might not have existed since it was his own songs that heralded the careers of folks like Elmore James and Stevie Ray Vaughn!

 

[muppetintherye]

I am talking about the bluesman.

 

[Smy Guiley]

anyone find it creepy that there are only 2 known pictures of Johnson? Kinda adds to the mystique of his life doesn't it? I always found that neat. Anyone have any original 78's of his stuff? Or the complete box set? (I don't myself, but I think it'd be great to get into)

eric

 

[muppetintherye]

Well, the boxed set is only $30, but I don't have it yet, but am trying to download it. I don't have the 78s, but I don't have something to play it on, either.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

I have the Columbia produced box set. It's really cool.

 

[muppetintherye]

anyone find it creepy that there are only 2 known pictures of Johnson? Kinda adds to the mystique of his life doesn't it? I always found that neat.

eric

That's what he left us: 2 photos, 29 songs, 12 alternate teacks, and a mind-boggling legacy.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

He also supposedly left a few seconds of film before he died that Mick Jagger of Rolling Stones purchased for several thousand dollars, not to mention likely several children born out of wedlock.

I don't believe his legacy stopped with him, but his offspring don't play music--not that they ever admitted to being his child.

I'm doubtful of the whole "crossroads" thing, but after disappearing to practice more and then reappearing with talent, he REALLY played off the rumors and made himself famous. The other part of the rumor (besides having been taken by the devil), is that a jealous husband poisoned him.

We'll never know, though; will we?

I want to take a trip down to what is considered the official spot of the crossroads where he supposedly sold his soul to the devil, but it's an interstate crossed by a city road now.

 

[muppetintherye]

Actually, it was a guy named Tommy Johnson who sold his soul, and Crossroads was a song about him and that's how people thought he sold his soul to the devil. Check the IMDB Trivia for O Brother Where Art Thou.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Don't put but maybe 25% faith in anything imdb.com says; they're wrong frequently. That, and O Brother was fiction with SOME reality thrown in to make their story more fantastic and more real.

All my studies never say that about Tommy Johnson. In the book Searching For Robert Johnson we discover the rumors about his having sold his soul to the devil.

When he originally began TRYING to perform, apparently it was bad. He was not ranked at the best of the performers when he disappeared for a while. Ultimately he returned and he played awesomely, making guitar music that the likes of which had never been heard. He would play with his back to the audience so nobody would see how he played his guitar. Because of this (disappearing with bad performance skills, returning with great performance skills which he never let anybody see) the rumors began that he had sold his soul to the devil.

A great Robert Johnson Tribute Site is online and there it discusses his legend.