Robert johnson biography devils blues

American blues musician (1911–1938)

For additional people named Robert Johnson, predict Robert Johnson (disambiguation).

Not to break down confused with Lonnie Johnson.

Musical artist

Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911 – August 16, 1938) was an English blues musician and songwriter. Her majesty singing, guitar playing and songwriting on his landmark 1936 last 1937 recordings has influenced subsequent generations of musicians. Although dominion recording career spanned only vii months, he is recognized monkey a master of the despondency, particularly the Delta blues genre, and as one of picture most influential musicians of authority 20th century. The Rock careful Roll Hall of Fame describes him as perhaps "the head ever rock star".^[1]

As a movement performer who played mostly fray street corners, in juke joints, and at Saturday night dances, Johnson had little commercial premium or public recognition in fillet lifetime. He had only combine recording sessions both produced provoke Don Law, one in San Antonio in 1936, and hold up in Dallas in 1937, lapse produced 29 distinct songs (with 13 surviving alternate takes). These songs, recorded solo in makeshift studios, were the sum suggest his recorded output. Most were released as 10-inch, 78 rpmsingles from 1937–1938, with a scarcely any released after his death. Blemish than these recordings, very minute was known of his vitality outside of the small mellifluous circuit in the Mississippi Delta where he spent most pleasant his time. Much of enthrone story has been reconstructed lump researchers. Johnson's poorly documented authenticated and death have given question to legends. The one pinnacle often associated with him decline that he sold his print to the devil at boss local crossroads in return let slip musical success.

His music abstruse a small, but influential, later during his life and play a part the decades after his attain. In late 1938, John Hammond sought him out for copperplate concert at Carnegie Hall, From Spirituals to Swing, only show to advantage discover that Johnson had lately died. Hammond was a creator for Columbia Records which mercenary Johnson's original recordings from Town Records which owned them. MusicologistAlan Lomax went to Mississippi cloudless 1941 to record Johnson, very not knowing of his have killed. In 1961, Columbia released come album of Johnson's recordings elite King of the Delta Depression Singers produced by legendary maker and music historian Frank Driggs. It is credited with ultimately bringing Johnson's work to precise wider audience. The album would become influential, especially in birth nascent British blues movement; Eric Clapton called Johnson "the extremity important blues singer that sharp-witted lived."Bob Dylan, Keith Richards, trip Robert Plant have cited both Johnson's lyrics and musicianship tempt key influences on their purge work. Many of Johnson's songs have been covered over grandeur years, becoming hits for precision artists, and his guitar licks and lyrics have been outside by many later musicians.

Renewed interest in Johnson's work additional life led to a take into custody of scholarship starting in honesty 1960s. Much of what commission known about him was reconstructed by researchers such as Gayle Dean Wardlow and Bruce Conforth, especially in their 2019 win biography^[3] of Johnson: Up Jumped the Devil: The Real Career of Robert Johnson (Chicago Consider Press). Two films, the 1991 documentary The Search for Parliamentarian Johnson by John Hammond Junior, and a 1997 documentary, Can't You Hear the Wind Howl?: The Life & Music carp Robert Johnson, which included reconstructed scenes with Keb' Mo' monkey Johnson, attempted to document wreath life, and demonstrated the in financial difficulty arising from the scant sequential record and conflicting oral investment. Over the years, the describe of Johnson and his penalty has been recognized by magnanimity Rock and Roll, Grammy, folk tale Blues Halls of Fame, cope with by the National Recording Maintenance Board.

Life and career

Early life

Robert Leroy Johnson was born wellheeled Hazlehurst, Mississippi, possibly on Can 8, 1911, to Julia Main Dodds (born October 1874) stand for Noah Johnson (born December 1884). Julia was married to Physicist Dodds (born February 1865), clean up relatively prosperous landowner and household goods maker, with whom she esoteric ten children. Charles Dodds confidential been forced by a dangle mob to leave Hazlehurst people a dispute with white gentlefolk. Julia left Hazlehurst with child Robert, but in less pat two years she brought significance boy to Memphis to be real with her husband, who esoteric changed his name to Physicist Spencer. Robert spent the go along with 8–9 years growing up misrepresent Memphis and attending the Carnes Avenue Colored School where sharptasting received lessons in arithmetic, portrayal, language, music, geography, and mortal exercise. It was in Metropolis that he acquired his warmth for, and knowledge of, rectitude blues and popular music. Jurisdiction education and city upbringing situated him apart from most be beneficial to his contemporary blues musicians.

Robert rejoined his mother around 1919–1920 after she married an unlettered sharecropper named Will "Dusty" Willis. They originally settled on unmixed plantation in Lucas Township fulfil Crittenden County, Arkansas, but in good time moved across the Mississippi March to Commerce in the River Delta, near Tunica and Robinsonville. They lived on the Abbay & Leatherman Plantation.^[7] Julia's contemporary husband was 24 years bring about junior. Robert was remembered unreceptive some residents as "Little Parliamentarian Dusty", but he was qualified at Tunica's Indian Creek Kindergarten as Robert Spencer. In say publicly 1920 census, he is programmed as Robert Spencer, living intricate Lucas, Arkansas, with Will streak Julia Willis. Robert was comatose school in 1924 and 1927.^[9] The quality of his print on his marriage certificate suggests that he was relatively famously educated for a man pan his background. A school intimate, Willie Coffee, who was interviewed and filmed in later survival, recalled that as a young womanhood Robert was already noted defence playing the harmonica and gossip harp. Coffee recalled that Parliamentarian was absent for long periods, which suggests that he can have been living and preparing in Memphis.

Once Julia informed Parliamentarian about his biological father, Parliamentarian adopted the surname Johnson, stir it on the certificate sustenance his marriage to fourteen-year-old Colony Travis in February 1929. She died in childbirth shortly funds. Surviving relatives of Virginia sit in judgment the blues researcher Robert "Mack" McCormick that this was a- divine punishment for Robert's ballot to sing secular songs, painstaking as "selling your soul be acquainted with the Devil". McCormick believed lapse Johnson himself accepted the expression as a description of queen resolve to abandon the diehard life of a husband come to rest farmer to become a full-time blues musician.^[14]

Around this time, magnanimity blues musician Son House stricken to Robinsonville, where his dulcet partner Willie Brown lived. Signify in life, House remembered Lbj as a little boy who was a competent harmonica competitor but an embarrassingly bad player. Soon after, Johnson left Robinsonville for the area around Martinsville, close to his birthplace, perchance searching for his natural holy man. Here he mastered the bass style of House and au fait other styles from Isaiah "Ike" Zimmerman. Zimmerman was rumored go on a trip have learned supernaturally to loom guitar by visiting graveyards catch midnight. When Johnson next attended in Robinsonville, he seemed tote up have miraculously developed a principled guitar technique. House was interviewed at a time when glory legend of Johnson's pact bend the devil was well name among blues researchers. He was asked whether he attributed Johnson's technique to this pact, brook his equivocal answers have anachronistic taken as confirmation.

While living consign Martinsville, Johnson fathered a descendant with Vergie Mae Smith. Type married Caletta Craft in Could 1931. In 1932, the coalesce settled for a while dash Clarksdale, Mississippi, in the Delta, but Johnson soon left on the way to a career as a "walking" or itinerant musician, and Caletta died in early 1933.

Itinerant musician

From 1932 until his death think about it 1938, Johnson moved frequently in the middle of the cities of Memphis swallow Helena, and the smaller towns of the Mississippi Delta cope with neighboring regions of Mississippi attend to Arkansas. On occasion, he journey much further. The blues player Johnny Shines accompanied him get to Chicago, Texas, New York, Canada, Kentucky, and Indiana.^[22]Henry Townsend afflicted with him in St. Prizefighter. In many places he stayed with members of his weak extended family or with somebody friends. He did not wed again but formed some long-run relationships with women to whom he would return periodically. Appearance other places he stayed go one better than whatever woman he was genial to seduce at his cabaret. In each location, Johnson's provocation were largely ignorant of jurisdiction life elsewhere. He used dissimilar names in different places, employing at least eight distinct surnames.

Biographers have looked for consistency devour musicians who knew Johnson harvest different contexts: Shines, who journey extensively with him; Robert Lockwood Jr., who knew him sort his mother's partner; David "Honeyboy" Edwards, whose cousin Willie Mae Powell had a relationship gather Johnson. From a mass reminiscent of partial, conflicting, and inconsistent observer accounts, biographers have attempted collect summarize Johnson's character. "He was well mannered, he was fragile spoken, he was indecipherable". "As for his character, everyone seems to agree that, while soil was pleasant and outgoing gratify public, in private he was reserved and liked to walk his own way". "Musicians who knew Johnson testified that subside was a nice guy add-on fairly average—except, of course, suggest his musical talent, his decrepitude for whiskey and women, title his commitment to the road."

When Johnson arrived in a spanking town, he would play instruct tips on street corners contraction in front of the go out of business barbershop or a restaurant. Melodic associates have said that nucleus live performances Johnson often blunt not focus on his unsighted and complex original compositions, on the other hand instead pleased audiences by accomplishment more well-known pop standards substantiation the day^[33] – and not necessarily dejection. With an ability to line-up up tunes at first opportunity, he had no trouble presentation his audiences what they called for, and certain of his age group later remarked on his club in jazz and country concerto. He also had an spooky ability to establish a affinity with his audience; in each one town in which he stopped up, he would establish ties count up the local community that would serve him well when let go passed through again a period or a year later.

Shines was 20 when he tumble Johnson in 1936. He ostensible Johnson was maybe a day older than himself (Johnson was actually four years older). Shines is quoted describing Johnson pretend Samuel Charters's Robert Johnson:

Robert was a very friendly living soul, even though he was disgruntled at times, you know. Countryside I hung around Robert support quite a while. One gloaming he disappeared. He was fast of a peculiar fellow. Robert'd be standing up playing several place, playing like nobody's sheer. At about that time on the trot was a hustle with him as well as a tumult. And money'd be coming free yourself of all directions. But Robert'd steady pick up and walk trigger and leave you standing present playing. And you wouldn't peep Robert no more maybe minute two or three weeks. ... To such a degree accord Robert and I, we began journeying off. I was equitable, matter of fact, tagging along.^[34]

During this time Johnson established what would be a relatively long-range relationship with Estella Coleman, out woman about 15 years climax senior and the mother additional the blues musician Robert Lockwood Jr. Johnson reportedly cultivated undiluted woman to look after him in each town he feigned in. He reputedly asked unassuming young women living in magnanimity country with their families necessarily he could go home get a feel for them, and in most cases, he was accepted, until spiffy tidy up boyfriend arrived or Johnson was ready to move on.

In 1941, Alan Lomax learned be different Muddy Waters that Johnson abstruse performed in the area retain Clarksdale, Mississippi. By 1959, description historian Samuel Charters could limb only that Will Shade, answer the Memphis Jug Band, Johnson had once briefly insincere with him in West City, Arkansas. In the last epoch of his life, Johnson legal action believed to have traveled on touching St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit, humbling New York City. In 1938, Columbia Records producer John Twirl. Hammond, who owned some see Johnson's records, directed record creator Don Law to seek get rid of Johnson to book him purport the first "From Spirituals attack Swing" concert at Carnegie Appearance in New York. On inborn of Johnson's death, Hammond replaced him with Big Bill Broonzy, but he played two clasp Johnson's records from the chapter.

Recording sessions

Main article: Robert Writer recordings § Sessionography

In Jackson, Mississippi, offspring 1936, Johnson sought out Swirl. C. Speir, who ran uncomplicated general store and also contaminated as a talent scout. Speir put Johnson in touch nervousness Ernie Oertle, who, as efficient salesman for the ARC calling of labels, introduced Johnson take over Don Law to record sovereignty first sessions in San Antonio, Texas. The recording session was held on November 23–25, 1936, in room 414 of birth Gunter Hotel in San Antonio. In the ensuing three-day category, Johnson played 16 selections captain recorded alternate takes for virtually of them. Among the songs Johnson recorded in San Antonio were "I Believe I'll Rub My Broom", "Sweet Home Chicago", and "Cross Road Blues", which later became blues standards. Justness first to be released was "Terraplane Blues", backed with "Last Fair Deal Gone Down", which sold as many as 10,000 copies.

Johnson traveled to Dallas, Texas, for another recording session gather Don Law in a shift studio at the Vitagraph (Warner Bros.) Building,^[40] on June 19–20, 1937. Johnson recorded almost hemisphere of the 29 songs dump make up his entire discography in Dallas and eleven archives from this session were unrestricted within the following year. Lid of Johnson's "somber and introspective" songs and performances come shun his second recording session. President did two takes of about of these songs, and recordings of those takes survived. Thanks to of this, there is added opportunity to compare different goings-on of a single song exceed Johnson than for any second 1 blues performer of his times. In contrast to most Delta players, Johnson had absorbed righteousness idea of fitting a sedate song into the three proceedings of a 78-rpm side.

Death

Johnson monotonous on August 16, 1938, decay the age of 27, secure Greenwood, Mississippi, of unknown causes. Johnson's death was not simultaneous publicly. Almost 30 years posterior, Gayle Dean Wardlow, a Mississippi-based musicologist researching Johnson's life, essential Johnson's death certificate, which traded only the date and tour, with no official cause blame death. No formal autopsy difficult to understand been done. Instead, a pro forma examination was done touch file the death certificate, deliver no immediate cause of defile was determined. It is prospective he had congenital syphilis instruct it was suspected later stomachturning medical professionals that this haw have been a contributing substance in his death. However, 30 years of local oral contributions had, like the rest worm your way in his life story, built simple legend which has filled be bounded by gaps in the scant sequential record.^[45]

Several differing accounts have declared the events preceding his stain. Johnson had been playing courier a few weeks at neat as a pin country dance in a city about 15 miles (24 km) shun Greenwood. According to one intention, Johnson was murdered by ethics jealous husband of a lass with whom he had flirted. In an account by decency blues musician David 'Honeyboy' Theologian, Johnson had been flirting exchange a married woman at well-organized dance, and she gave him a bottle of whiskey poisoned by her husband. When Writer took the bottle, Edwards knocked it out of his supervise, admonishing him to never mouthful from a bottle that loosen up had not personally seen unbolt. Johnson replied, "Don't ever rap a bottle out of tidy up hand." Soon after, he was offered another (poisoned) bottle deliver accepted it.^[46] Johnson is common to have begun feeling observe the evening after and difficult to understand to be helped back email his room in the completely morning hours. Over the support three days his condition gradually worsened. Witnesses reported that unquestionable died in a convulsive state of affairs of severe pain. The musicologist Robert "Mack" McCormick claimed argue with have tracked down the gentleman who murdered Johnson and tip have obtained a confession go over the top with him in a personal grill, but he declined to disclose the man's name.^[14]

While strychnine has been suggested as the venomous that killed Johnson, at minimum one scholar has disputed say publicly notion. Tom Graves, in ruler book Crossroads: The Life spell Afterlife of Blues Legend Parliamentarian Johnson, relies on expert affirmation from toxicologists to argue desert strychnine has such a original odor and taste that likeness cannot be disguised, even hillock strong liquor. Graves also claims that a significant amount state under oath strychnine would have to rectify consumed in one sitting bung be fatal, and that brusque from the poison would transpire within hours, not days.^[47]

In their 2019 book Up Jumped illustriousness Devil, Bruce Conforth and Gayle Dean Wardlow suggest that leadership poison was naphthalene, from dissolved mothballs. This was "a prosaic way of poisoning people discredit the rural South", but was rarely fatal. However, Johnson locked away been diagnosed with an critical and with esophageal varices, tell off the poison was sufficient disrespect cause them to hemorrhage. Recognized died after two days be in opposition to severe abdominal pain, vomiting, suffer bleeding from the mouth.

The Leflore County registrar, Cornelia Jordan, mature later and after conducting eminence investigation into Johnson's death keep the state director of imperative statistics, R. N. Whitfield, wrote a clarifying note on blue blood the gentry back of Johnson's death certificate:

I talked with the ghastly man on whose place that negro died and I along with talked with a negro female on the place. The agricultural estate owner said the negro civil servant, seemingly about 26 years accommodate, came from Tunica two find time for three weeks before he dull to play banjo at unadorned negro dance given there write off the plantation. He stayed breach the house with some aristocratic the negroes saying he desirable to pick cotton. The milky man did not have excellent doctor for this negro little he had not worked guarantor him. He was buried lid a homemade coffin furnished lump the county. The plantation holder said it was his discord that the man died deadly syphilis.^[49]

In 2006, a medical skilled employee, David Connell, suggested, on influence basis of photographs showing Johnson's "unnaturally long fingers" and "one bad eye", that Johnson could have had Marfan syndrome, which could have both affected realm guitar playing and contributed decimate his death due to arteria dissection.

Gravesite

The true location of Johnson's grave is unknown; three novel markers have been erected batter possible sites in church cemeteries outside Greenwood.

• Research in description 1980s and 1990s strongly suggests Johnson was buried in glory graveyard of the Mount Firmament Missionary Baptist Church near Biologist City, Mississippi, not far give birth to Greenwood, in an unmarked esteemed. A one-ton cenotaph in rendering shape of an obelisk, database all of Johnson's song dignities, with a central inscription dampen Peter Guralnick, was placed fake this location in 1990, compel to for by Columbia Records existing numerous smaller contributions made pillage the Mount Zion Memorial Fund.

• In 1990, a small marker obey the epitaph "Resting in rendering Blues" was placed in decency cemetery of Payne Chapel, next Quito, Mississippi, by an Beleaguering rock group named the Tombstones, after they saw a representation in Living Blues magazine have a good time an unmarked spot alleged next to one of Johnson's ex-girlfriends industrial action be Johnson's burial site.
• More brand-new research by Stephen LaVere (including statements from Rosie Eskridge, righteousness wife of the supposed gravedigger, in 2000) indicates that authority actual grave site is slip up a big pecan tree steadily the cemetery of the Petty Zion Church, north of Greenwood along Money Road. Through LaVere, Sony Music placed a gravestone at this site, which bears LaVere's name as well importance Johnson's. Researchers Bruce Conforth unthinkable Gayle Dean Wardlow also closed this was Johnson's resting font in their 2019 biography.

John Hammond Jr., in the documentary The Search for Robert Johnson (1991), suggests that owing to deficiency and lack of transportation Author is most likely to possess been buried in a pauper's grave (or "potter's field") snatch near where he died.

Devil legend

According to legend, as precise young man living on top-notch plantation in rural Mississippi, Writer had a tremendous desire direct to become a great blues bard. One of the legends again and again told says that Johnson was instructed to take his bass to a crossroad near Dockery Plantation at midnight. (There sort out claims for other sites introduce the location of the crossroads.) There he was met shy a large being (the Devil) who took the guitar instruction tuned it. The Devil assumed a few songs and next returned the guitar to Lbj, giving him mastery of excellence instrument. This story of a-ok deal with the Devil horizontal the crossroads mirrors the myth of Faust. In exchange edgy his soul, Johnson was precise to create the blues oblige which he became famous.

This story was originally associated collect Delta blues musician Tommy Lexicographer, to whom Robert Johnson was unrelated. Tommy Johnson, who grew up near the Dockery Grove and learned the blues immigrant Charlie Patton and Willie Darkbrown, first claimed to have vend his soul to the beelzebub at a crossroads in bet on for his mastery of glory guitar.^[54][55]

Various accounts

This legend was matured over time and has bent chronicled by Gayle Dean Wardlow, Edward Komara and Elijah Wald, who sees the legend makeover largely dating from Johnson's rediscovery by white fans more rather than two decades after his Semidetached once told the story convey Pete Welding as an resolution of Johnson's astonishingly rapid finish of the guitar. Other interviewers failed to elicit any witness from House and there were two full years between House's observation of Johnson as foremost a novice and then precise master.

Further details were fascinated from the imaginative retellings infant Greil Marcus and Robert Traveller. Most significantly, the detail was added that Johnson received queen gift from a large hazy man at a crossroads. Relative to is dispute as to to whatever manner and when the crossroads fact was attached to the Parliamentarian Johnson story. All the obtainable evidence, including a full phase on the subject in say publicly biography Crossroads, by Tom Writer, suggests an origin in prestige story of the blues singer Tommy Johnson. This story was collected from his musical colligate Ishman Bracey and his higher ranking brother Ledell in the Decade. One version of Ledell Johnson's account was published in Painter Evans's 1971 biography of Squaddie or squaddy Johnson,^[61] and was repeated force print in 1982 alongside House's story in the widely study Searching for Robert Johnson, make wet Peter Guralnick.

In another turn your stomach, Ledell placed the meeting whine at a crossroads but subtract a graveyard. This resembles influence story told to Steve LaVere that Ike Zimmerman of Hazlehurst, Mississippi, learned to play probity guitar at midnight while period on tombstones. Zimmerman is deemed to have influenced the performing of the young Johnson.

Brandnew research by the blues academic Bruce Conforth, in Living Blues magazine, makes the story clearer. Johnson and Ike Zimmerman exact practice in a graveyard enviable night, because it was flat and no one would disappoint them, but it was not quite the Hazlehurst cemetery as locked away been believed: Zimmerman was weep from Hazlehurst but nearby Beauregard, and he did not look for in one graveyard, but underneath several in the area.^[64] President spent about a year board with and learning from Zimmerman, who ultimately accompanied Johnson send to the Delta to face after him.

While Dockery, Hazlehurst and Beauregard have each archaic claimed as the locations living example the mythical crossroads, there lookout also tourist attractions claiming soft-soap be "The Crossroads" in both Clarksdale and Memphis. Residents medium Rosedale, Mississippi, claim Johnson advertise his soul to the satan at the intersection of Highways 1 and 8 in their town, while the 1986 layer Crossroads was filmed in Beulah, Mississippi. The blues historian Steve Cheseborough wrote that it possibly will be impossible to discover character exact location of the fairy-tale crossroads, because "Robert Johnson was a rambling guy".

Interpretations

Some scholars be endowed with argued that the devil emergence these songs may refer snivel only to the Christian emblem of Satan but also become the trickster god of Continent origin, Legba, himself associated industrial action crossroads. Folklorist Harry M. Hyatt wrote that, during his evaluation in the South from 1935 to 1939, when African-Americans national in the 19th or trusty 20th century said they elite anyone else had "sold their soul to the devil hatred the crossroads", they had fastidious different meaning in mind. Hyatt claimed there was evidence indicatory of African religious retentions surrounding Legba and the making of a-okay "deal" (not selling the letters in the same sense similarly in the Faustian tradition insignificant by Graves) with the alleged devil at the crossroads.

The Piteous and the Blues singer has really special powers over brigade, especially. It is said lapse the Blues singer could be blessed women and have any lady-love they wanted. And so what because Robert Johnson came back, securing left his community as let down apparently mediocre musician, with undiluted clear genius in his bass style and lyrics, people put into words he must have sold climax soul to the devil. Roost that fits in with that old African association with illustriousness crossroads where you find wisdom: you go down to say publicly crossroads to learn, and impossible to differentiate his case to learn beginning a Faustian pact, with authority devil. You sell your psyche to become the greatest performer in history.^[68]

This view that interpretation devil in Johnson's songs not bad derived from an African pet was disputed by the suggestive scholar David Evans in exclude essay published in 1999, "Demythologizing the Blues":

There are ... a sprinkling serious problems with this community myth. The devil imagery difficult in the blues is fully familiar from western folklore, abstruse nowhere do blues singers smart mention Legba or any blemish African deity in their songs or other lore. The faithful African music connected with cults of Legba and similar comedian deities sounds nothing like high-mindedness blues, but rather features polyrhythmic percussion and choral call-and-response singing.^[69]

The musicologist Alan Lomax dismissed dignity myth, stating, "In fact, now and again blues fiddler, banjo picker, razor sharp blower, piano strummer and bass framer was, in the be of the same mind of both himself and dominion peers, a child of ethics Devil, a consequence of distinction black view of the Dweller dance embrace as sinful grind the extreme".

Both Lomax's and Evans's accounts themselves have been ignored and dismissed by Black scholars and authors including Amiri Author and Cornel West.^[71][72] West defines Blues as a creation take away a people "who are willing to help to look unflinchingly at disconsolate conditions", as children of Deity responding to those conditions. Baraka's words are more directly depreciatory of white writers who con African-American Blues artform and sophistication from a Western viewpoint, stating that "They have to enact that to make themselves premier in some kind of way: that everything has come depart from Europe, which is not true".^[73] Baraka cites that rather overrun being formed out of unpolished Western context, Blues derives outlandish an African context of secure own. The call-and-response singing Lomax argues is different from Heart-rending has been widely cited reorganization being a central aspect cataclysm Blues music.^[74]

Musical style

Johnson is reasoned a master of the dejection, particularly of the Delta heart-rending style. Keith Richards, of justness Rolling Stones, said in 1990, "You want to know spiritualist good the blues can get? Well, this is it". On the other hand according to Elijah Wald, expose his book Escaping the Delta, Johnson in his own at this point was most respected for queen ability to play in exceptional wide range of styles, implant raw country slide guitar advance jazz and pop licks, illustrious for his ability to combat up guitar parts almost at the moment upon hearing a song. Monarch first recorded song, "Kind Idea Woman Blues", in contrast don the prevailing Delta style castigate the time, more resembled honesty style of Chicago or Thrashing. Louis, with "a full-fledged, by leaps and bounds varied musical arrangement". The tune was part of a course of spin-offs and response songs that began with Leroy Carr's "Mean Mistreater Mama" (1934). According to Wald, it was "the most musically complex in leadership cycle" and stood apart hit upon most rural blues as trim thoroughly composed lyric, rather rather than an arbitrary collection of a cut above or less unrelated verses. Complementary for a Delta player work for the time, a recording exhibits what Johnson could do totally outside of a blues type. "They're Red Hot", from crown first recording session, shows roam he was also comfortable bash into an "uptown" swing or rag sound similar to that have a good time the Harlem Hamfats, but importance Wald remarked, "no record attendance was heading to Mississippi assimilate search of a down-home Wolf down Spots ... [H]e could undoubtedly suppress come up with a keep a record of more songs in this deal if the producers had required them."

Voice

An important aspect draw round Johnson's singing was his pied-а-terre of microtonality. These subtle inflections of pitch help explain reason his singing conveys such sturdy emotion. Eric Clapton described Johnson's music as "the most beefy cry that I think command can find in the individual voice". In two takes lecture "Me and the Devil Blues" he shows a high percentage of precision in the meet people vocal delivery of the resolve verse: "The range of intonation he can pack into smart few lines is astonishing." Honourableness song's "hip humor and sophistication" is often overlooked. "[G]enerations watch blues writers in search splash wild Delta primitivism", wrote Wald, have been inclined to miss or undervalue aspects that extravaganza Johnson as a polished varnished performer.

Johnson is also known be thinking of using the guitar as "the other vocalist in the song", a technique later perfected impervious to B.B. King and his incarnate guitar named Lucille: "In Continent and in Afro-American tradition, all over is the tradition of influence talking instrument, beginning with depiction drums ... the one-strand and escalate the six-strings with bottleneck-style performance; it becomes a competing voice ... or a complementary voice ... awarding the performance."^[68]

Instrument

See also: Robert Johnson’s guitars

Johnson mastered righteousness guitar, being considered today predispose of the all-time greats intent the instrument. His approach was complex and musically advanced. As Keith Richards was first exotic to Johnson's music by emperor bandmate Brian Jones, he on purpose, "Who is the other jeer playing with him?", not accomplishing it was Johnson playing horn guitar. "I was hearing brace guitars, and it took elegant long time to actually harmonize he was doing it accomplish by himself",^[85] said Richards, who later stated that "Robert Lexicologist was like an orchestra descent by himself".^[81] "As for dominion guitar technique, it's politely emaciated but ambitiously eclectic—moving effortlessly hit upon hen-picking and bottleneck slides bump into a full deck of chucka-chucka rhythm figures."^[81]

Lyrics

In The Story professional Dick Gordon, Bill Ferris, style American Public Media, said, "Robert Johnson I think of bed the same way I judge of the British Romantic poets, Keats and Shelley, who toughened out early, who were geniuses at wordsmithing poetry ... The Doldrums, if anything, are deeply coital. You know, 'my car doesn't run, I'm gonna check futile oil ... 'if you don't approximating my apples, don't shake vindicate tree'. Every verse has drive associated with it."^[68]

Influences

Johnson fused approaches specific to Delta blues inherit those from the broader punishment world. The slide guitar travail on "Ramblin' on My Mind" is pure Delta and Johnson's vocal there has "a boundary of ... Son House rawness", nevertheless the train imitation on excellence bridge is not at tumult typical of Delta blues—it in your right mind more like something out innumerable minstrel show music or extravaganza. Johnson did record versions invoke "Preaching the Blues" and "Walking Blues" in the older bluesman's vocal and guitar style (House's chronology has been questioned wedge Guralnick). As with the greatest take of "Come On fell My Kitchen", the influence director Skip James is evident harvest James's "Devil Got My Woman", but the lyrics rise look after the level of first-rate poesy, and Johnson sings with neat as a pin strained voice found nowhere added in his recorded output.

The downcast, romantic "Love in Vain" favourably blends several of Johnson's divers influences. The form, including excellence wordless last verse, follows Leroy Carr's last hit "When probity Sun Goes Down"; the improvise of the last sung rhyming come directly from a ticket Blind Lemon Jefferson recorded trudge 1926. Johnson's last recording, "Milkcow's Calf Blues" is his ceiling direct tribute to Kokomo General, who wrote "Milkcow Blues" ray influenced Johnson's vocal style.

"From Duo Until Late" shows Johnson's ascendence of a blues style put together usually associated with the Delta. He croons the lyrics induce a manner reminiscent of Lonnie Johnson, and his guitar understanding is more that of pure ragtime-influenced player like Blind Painter. Lonnie Johnson's influence is flat clearer in two other departures from the usual Delta style: "Malted Milk" and "Drunken Retiring Man". Both copy the settle on of Lonnie Johnson's "Life Rescuer Blues". The two takes bank "Me and the Devil Blues" show the influence of Peetie Wheatstraw, calling into question leadership interpretation of this piece in the same way "the spontaneous heart-cry of trig demon-driven folk artist".

Legacy

Early recognition predominant reviews

Famed producer John Hammond was an early advocate of Johnson's music. Using the pen-name Rhetorician Johnson, he wrote his foremost article on Robert Johnson hold the New Masses magazine bind March 1937, around the regarding of the release of Johnson's first record. In it, perform described Johnson as "the extreme Negro blues singer who has cropped up in recent years ... Johnson makes Leadbelly sound similar an accomplished poseur." The masses year, Hammond hoped to pretend Johnson to perform at keen December 1938 From Spirituals improve Swing concert in New Dynasty City, as he was ignorant that Johnson had died hutch August. Instead, Hammond played one of his recordings, "Walkin' Blues" and "Preachin' Blues (Up Jumped the Devil)", for the assignation and "praised Johnson lavishly get out of the stage". Music historian Concerned Gioia noted "Here, if sui generis incomparabl through the medium of recordings, Hammond used his considerable smooth at this historic event chance on advocate a position of distinction for the late Delta bluesman". Music educator James Perone too saw that the event "underscored Robert Johnson's specific importance though a recording artist". In 1939, Columbia issued a final unmarried, pairing "Preachin' Blues" with "Love in Vain".

In 1940, nine be the owner of Johnson's songs were included disagreement a "List of American Accustomed Songs on Commercial Records" treated by musicologist Alan Lomax fend for a U.S. government conference. Lomax's notations for the entries reach from "elaborate sex symbolism" ("Terraplane Blues"), "very nice love song" ("I'm a Steady Rollin' Man"), to "traces of voodoo" ("Stones in My Passway", "Hellhound sweettalk My Trail", "Cross Road Blues"). In 1942, commentary on Johnson's "Terraplane Blues" and "Last Balanced Deal Gone Down" appeared send The Jazz Record Book, decrease by Charles Edward Smith. Justness authors described Johnson's vocals orang-utan "imaginative" and "thrilling" and guitar playing as "exciting chimp almost anything in the fixed blues field". Music writer Rudi Blesh included a review acquisition Johnson's "Hellhound on My Trail" in his 1946 book Shining Trumpets: a History of Jazz. He noted the "personal discipline creative way" Johnson approached primacy song's harmony. Jim Wilson, afterward a writer for the Detroit Free Press, also mentioned dominion unconventional use of harmony. Quickwitted a 1949 review, he compared elements of John Lee Hooker's recent debut "Boogie Chillen": "His [Hooker's] dynamic rhythms and dainty nuances on the guitar tube his startling disregard for seal off scale and harmony patterns wellknown similarity to the work bad buy Robert Johnson, who made go to regularly fine records in this vein."

Samuel Charters drew further attention own Johnson in a five-page tract in his 1959 book, The Country Blues. He focused intervening the two Johnson recordings renounce referred to images of interpretation devil or hell – "Hellhound on Minder Trail" and "Me and goodness Devil Blues" – to suggest that Lexicographer was a deeply troubled different. Charters also included Johnson's "Preachin' Blues" on the album accessible alongside his book. Columbia Papers issued the first album do admin Johnson's recordings, King of description Delta Blues Singers two adulthood later.

Musicianship

Johnson is mentioned tempt one of the Delta artists who was a strong resilience on blues singers in post-war styles. However, it is Johnson's guitar technique that is generally identified as his greatest effort. Blues historian Edward Komara wrote:

The execution of a dynamic bass beat on a device instrument like the guitar (instead of the piano) is Johnson's most influential accomplishment ... This levelheaded the aspect of his penalisation that most changed the Delta blues practice and is nearly retained in the blues bass tradition.

This technique has been labelled a "boogie bass pattern" evaluator "boogie shuffle" and is dubious as a "fifth–sixth [degrees indicate a major scale] oscillation confirm the root chord". Sometimes, in peace has been attributed to Johnnie Temple, because he was influence first to record a expose in 1935 using it. In spite of that, Temple confirmed that he esoteric learned the technique from Johnson: "He was the first horn I ever heard use it ... It was similar to dinky piano boogie bass [which] Distracted learned from R. L. [Johnson] in '32 or '33."Johnny Shines added: "Some of the goods that Robert did with rectitude guitar affected the way each person played. In the early thirtysomething, boogie was rare on integrity guitar, something to be heard." Conforth and Wardlow call department store "one of the most manager riffs in blues music" talented music historian Peter Guralnick believes Johnson "popularized a mode [walking bass style on guitar] which would rapidly become the typical pattern". Although author Elijah Wald recognizes Johnson's contribution in popularizing the innovation, he discounts tight importance and adds, "As isolated as the evolution of jet-black music goes, Robert Johnson was an extremely minor figure, bid very little that happened smother the decades following his get would have been affected theorize he had never played smashing note".

Contemporaries

Johnson's contemporaries, including Johnny Shines, Johnnie Temple, Henry Townsend, Parliamentarian Lockwood Jr., Calvin Frazier, near David "Honeyboy" Edwards were amid those who kept his punishment alive through performing his songs and using his guitar techniques. Fellow Mississippi native Elmore Apostle is the best known unthinkable is responsible for popularizing Johnson's "Dust My Broom". In 1951, he recast the song introduce a Chicago-style blues, with thrilling slide guitar and a approval band. According to blues biographer Gerard Herhaft:

Johnson's influence gaze at Elmore James's music always remained powerful: his falsetto voice, fake shrill, and the intensive active of the "walking" bass make a recording of the boogie-woogie, several get flustered of James' repertoire were exotic from Johnson (e.g, "Dust Tongue-tied Broom", "Rambling on My Mind", and "Crossroads").

James' version is unwavering as "one of the chief recorded examples of what was to become the classic Metropolis shuffle beat". The style frequently associated with Chicago blues was used extensively by Jimmy Caste beginning with his first measuring tape "High and Lonesome" in 1953. Sometimes called "the trademark Benign shuffle" (although also associated coronet second guitarist, Eddie Taylor), transcribe is the figure Johnson frayed updated for electric guitar.

Blues standards

Several of Johnson's songs became vapors standards, which is used discriminate against describe blues songs that plot been widely performed and historical over a period of hour and are seen as acquiring a lasting quality. Perone carbon "That such a relatively lanky percentage of the songs attributed to him became blues traditions also keeps the legacy go rotten Robert Johnson alive." Those escalate often identified are "Sweet Dwelling Chicago" and "Dust My Broom", but also include "Crossroads" queue "Stop Breaking Down". As capable many blues songs, there shape melodic and lyrical precedents. Time "Sweet Home Chicago" borrows detach from Kokomo Arnold's 1933 "Old Recent Kokomo Blues", "Johnson's lyrics obligated the song a natural add to Chicago bluesmen, and it's her highness version that survived in goodness repertoires of performers like Enchantment Sam, Robert Lockwood, and Let fall Parker".

In the first decades fend for Johnsons' death, these songs, trappings some variations in the decorations and lyrics, were recorded hard Tommy McClennan (1939),Walter Davis (1941),Sonny Boy Williamson I (1945),Arthur Crudup (1949),^[127]Texas Alexander (1950),^[128] Elmore Outlaw (1951–1959), Baby Boy Warren (1954),^[129]Roosevelt Sykes (1955),^[130] Junior Parker (1958), and Forest City Joe (1959).^[131] Pearson and McCulloch believe depart "Sweet Home Chicago" and "Dust My Broom" in particular adhere Johnson to "the rightful inheritors of his musical ideas—big-city Somebody American artists whose high-powered, electrically amplified blues remain solidly need touch with Johnson's musical legacy" at the time of Columbia's first release of a replete album of his songs display 1961.

In Jim O'Neal's statement during the time that Johnson was inducted into primacy Blues FoundationBlues Hall of Term, he identified "Hell Hound volunteer My Trail", "Sweet Home Chicago", "Dust My Broom", "Love insipid Vain", and "Crossroads" as Johnson's classic recordings.^[133] Over the length of existence, these songs have been severally inducted into the Blues Hall's "Classic of Blues Recording – Single overcome Album Track" category, as vigorous as "Come On in Forlorn Kitchen" and "Terraplane Blues".^[134]

Rock music

In the mid-1950s, rock and raze pioneer Chuck Berry adapted influence boogie pattern on guitar transfer his songs "Roll Over Beethoven" and "Johnny B. Goode". Creator Dave Rubin commented:

his [Berry's] utilization of the bass-string cut-boogie patterns popularized by Robert Writer on songs like "Sweet Impress Chicago" ... subtly altered the started feel of the boogie misery into a more driving, uncurved 4/4 meter while still upkeep a limber lilt that deterioration often missing in the innumerable imitations that followed.

The pattern "became one of the signature tally in early electric guitar-based outcrop and roll, such as lose concentration of Chuck Berry and nobleness numerous rock musicians of high-mindedness 1960s who were influenced prep between Berry", according to Perone. Though music historian Larry Birnbaum as well sees the connection, he wrote that Johnson's "contributions to depiction origins of rock 'n' raze are negligible". The Rock ahead Roll Hall of Fame inducted Johnson as an early import in its first induction tribute, in 1986, almost a fifty per cent century after his death. Give authorization to also included four of songs it deemed to receive shaped the genre: "Sweet Domicile Chicago", "Cross Road Blues", "Hellhound on My Trail", and "Love in Vain".^[137]Marc Meyers, of depiction Wall Street Journal, commented, "His 'Stop Breakin' Down Blues' strange 1937 is so far in the lead of its time that righteousness song could easily have bent a rock demo cut anxiety 1954."^[81]

Several rock artists describe Lexicologist as an influence:

• Eric Clapton – "Robert Johnson to me is description most important blues musician who ever lived". He recorded assorted of Johnson's songs as on top form as an entire tribute photo album, Me and Mr. Johnson (2004).^[139] Clapton feels that rather top trying to recreate Johnson's originals, "I was trying to pull out as much emotional content escape it as I could, behaviour respecting the form at grandeur same time."
• Bob Dylan – "In about 1964 and '65, I probably reflexive about five or six model Robert Johnson's blues song forms, too, unconsciously, but more finely tuned the lyrical imagery side footnote things. If I hadn't heard the Robert Johnson record considering that I did, there probably would have been hundreds of contours of mine that would conspiracy been shut down—that I wouldn't have felt free enough boss around upraised enough to write. [His] code of language was on the topic of nothing I'd heard before less important since."
• Robert Plant – "A lot of Candidly musicians were very fired go see by Robert Johnson [to] whom we all owe more slur less our existence, I guesstimate, in some way".^[141]Led Zeppelin filmed "Traveling Riverside Blues" and quoted some of Johnson's lyrics buy "The Lemon Song".^[142]
• Keith Richards – "I've on no account heard anybody before or in that use the [blues] form soar bend it so much disperse make it work for himself ... he came out with much compelling themes [and] just authority way they were treated, spurofthemoment from the music and rendering performance, [was appealing]." The Propulsion Stones recorded "Love in Vain" and "Stop Breaking Down".
• Johnny Winter – "Robert Johnson knocked me out—he was a genius. [He and Youth House] both were big influences on my acoustic slide playing." He recorded "Dust My Broom" with additional guitar by Derek Trucks.^[146]

Problems of biography

Until authority 2019 publication of Bruce Conforth and Gayle Dean Wardlow's story, Up Jumped the Devil: Illustriousness Real Life of Robert Johnson, little of Johnson's early polish was known. Two marriage licenses for Johnson have been come to pass in county records offices. Excellence ages given in these certificates point to different birth dates, but Conforth and Wardlow promote that Johnson lied about authority age in order to find a marriage license. Carrie Archaeologist claimed that her mother, who was also Robert's mother, god his birth date as May 8, 1911. He was not planned among his mother's children enjoy the 1910 census giving mint credence to a 1911 birthdate. Although the 1920 census gives his age as 7, indicatory of he was born in 1912 or 1913, the entry presentation his attendance at Indian Inlet School, in Tunica, Mississippi^[when?] recorded him as being 14 life-span old.^{[citation needed]}

Five significant dates make the first move his career are documented: Mon, Thursday and Friday, November 23, 26 and 27, 1936, spokesperson a recording session in San Antonio, Texas; and Saturday pointer Sunday, June 19 and 20, 1937, at a recording fixation in Dallas. His death security, discovered in 1968, lists nobleness date and location of death.

Record collectors admired Johnson's papers from the time of their first release, and efforts were made to discover information beget him, with virtually no come next. A relatively full account persuade somebody to buy Johnson's brief musical career emerged in the 1960s, largely implant accounts by Son House, Johnny Shines, David "Honeyboy" Edwards near Robert Jr. Lockwood. In 1961, the sleeve notes to description album King of the Delta Blues Singers included reminiscences lump Don Law who had real Johnson in 1936. Law with to the mystique surrounding Lexicographer, representing him as very lush and extraordinarily shy.

The piteous researcher Mack McCormick began rotten Johnson's family background in 1972, but died in 2015 broke publishing his findings. McCormick's proof eventually became as much well-ordered legend as Johnson himself. Hold up 1982, McCormick permitted Peter Guralnick to publish a summary hold back Living Blues (1982), later reprinted in book form as Searching for Robert Johnson. Later researchers sought to confirm this calculate or to add minor trivia. A revised summary acknowledging elder contributors was written by Writer LaVere for the booklet affiliated Robert Johnson, The Complete Recordings box set (1990). The docudrama film The Search for Parliamentarian Johnson contains accounts by Discoverer and Wardlow of what informants have told them: long interviews of David "Honeyboy" Edwards very last Johnny Shines and short interviews of surviving friends and descendants. Another film, Can't You Hark the Wind Howl?: The Authenticated & Music of Robert Johnson,^[149] combines documentary segments with recreated scenes featuring Keb' Mo' although Johnson with narration by Danny Glover. Shines, Edwards and Parliamentarian Jr. Lockwood contribute interviews. These published biographical sketches achieve logical narratives, partly by ignoring memories and hearsay accounts which argue or conflict with their finance.

Photographs

Until the 1980s, it was believed that no images disparage Johnson had survived. However, tierce images of Johnson were set in 1972 and 1973, instruct in the possession of his stepsister Carrie Thompson. Two of these, known as the "dime-store photo" (December 1937 or January 1938) and the "studio portrait" (summer 1936), were copyrighted by Author LaVere (who had obtained them from the Thompson family) contact 1986 and 1989, respectively, coupled with an agreement to share party ensuing royalties 50% with ethics Johnson estate, at that put on the back burner administered by Thompson. The "dime-store photo" was first published, partly in passing, in an controversy of Rolling Stone magazine of great magnitude 1986, and the studio form in a 1989 article mass Stephen Calt and Gayle Holy man Wardlow in 78 Quarterly. Both were subsequently featured prominently pimple the printed materials associated bend the 1990 CBS box ready to step in of the "complete" Johnson recordings, as well as being by many republished since that time. Since Mississippi courts in 1998 froward that Robert Johnson's heir was Claud Johnson, a son home-grown out of wedlock, the land share of all monies paying to LaVere by CBS increase in intensity others ended up going be acquainted with Claud Johnson, and attempts jam the heirs of Carrie Physicist to obtain a ruling roam the photographs were her lonely property and not part presumption the estate were dismissed.^[151][152] Invite his book Searching for Parliamentarian Johnson, Peter Guralnick stated turn the blues archivist Mack Artificer showed him a photograph unscrew Johnson with his nephew Gladiator, taken at the same intention as the famous "pinstripe suit" photograph, showing Louis dressed check his United States Navy uniform; this picture, along with birth "studio portrait", were both reach by Carrie Thompson to Artificer in 1972.^[151] McCormick never reciprocal the photograph of Johnson bring into being his uniform, keeping it fake his archive until his cool. McCormick's daughter donated the narrative to the Smithsonian Institution disintegrate 2020 and encouraged museum club to facilitate the return longawaited the photograph to Johnson's descendants; as of 2023, The Educator Post reported that the museum had agreed to return leadership photograph and was awaiting receipt formula from the Johnson family.^[153] That photograph has never been forceful public.

Another photograph, purporting disperse show Johnson posing with righteousness blues musician Johnny Shines, was published in the November 2008 issue of Vanity Fair magazine.^[154] Its authenticity was claimed uninviting the forensic artist Lois Illustrator and by Johnson's estate look 2013,^[155] but has been unrefuted by some music historians, containing Elijah Wald, Bruce Conforth captivated Gayle Dean Wardlow, who deemed that the clothing suggests well-ordered date after Johnson's death captain that the photograph may have to one`s name been reversed and retouched. Other, both "Honeyboy" Edwards and Parliamentarian Jr. Lockwood failed to know either man in the icon. Facial recognition software concluded ditch neither man was Johnson guts Shines. Finally, Gibson claimed leadership photo was from 1933 be determined 1934 but it is humble that Johnson did not befitting Shines until early 1937.^[156] Pin down December 2015, a fourth characterization was published, purportedly showing Lexicologist, his wife Calletta Craft, Estella Coleman, and Robert Lockwood Jr.^[157] This photograph was also alleged authentic by Lois Gibson, however her identification of Johnson has been dismissed by other facial recognition experts and blues historians. There are a number inducing reasons why the photograph levelheaded unlikely to be Johnson: cotton on has been proven that Skilfulness died before Johnson met Coleman, the clothing could not carve prior to the late Forties, the furniture is from interpretation 1950s, the Coca-Cola bottle cannot be from prior to 1950, etc.^[158]

A third photograph of President, this time smiling, was obtainable in 2020. It is estimated to have been taken of great consequence Memphis on the same example as the verified photograph resolve him with a guitar slab cigarette (part of the "dime-store" set), and is in nobility possession of Annye Anderson, Johnson's step-sister (Anderson is the lassie of Charles Dodds, later Philosopher, who was married to Robert's mother but was not ruler father). As a child, Contralto grew up in the different family as Johnson and has claimed to have been up to date, aged 10 or 11, champ the occasion the photograph was taken. This photograph was obtainable in Vanity Fair in Could 2020, as the cover position for a book, Brother Robert: Growing Up with Robert Johnson, written by Anderson in cooperation with author Preston Lauterbach,^[159] direct is considered to be real by Johnson scholar Elijah Wald.

Descendants

Johnson left no will. Be glad about 1998, the Mississippi Supreme Woo ruled that Claud Johnson, grand retired truck driver living look Crystal Springs, Mississippi, was influence son of Robert Johnson concentrate on his only heir. The boring heard that he had back number born to Virgie Jane Adventurer (later Virgie Jane Cain), who had a relationship with Parliamentarian Johnson in 1931. The connection was attested to by smashing friend, Eula Mae Williams, on the contrary other relatives descended from Parliamentarian Johnson's half-sister, Carrie Harris Physicist, contested Claud Johnson's claim. Excellence effect of the judgment was to allow Claud Johnson dissertation receive over $1 million add on royalties.^[160] Claud Johnson died, extreme 83, on June 30, 2015, leaving six children.^[161]

Discography

Main article: Parliamentarian Johnson recordings § Discography

Eleven 78-rpm annals by Johnson were released jam Vocalion Records in 1937 extort 1938, with additional pressings close to ARC budget labels. In 1939, a twelfth was issued posthumously. Johnson's estate holds the copyrights to his songs.^[163] In 1961, Columbia Records released King be in the region of the Delta Blues Singers, be thinking about album representing the first modern-era release of Johnson's performances, which started the "re-discovery" of Author as blues artist. In 1970, Columbia issued a second book, King of the Delta Dejection Singers, Vol. II.

The Full Recordings, a two-disc set, unfastened on August 28, 1990, contains almost everything Johnson recorded, proficient all 29 recordings, and 12 alternate takes. Another alternate apparatus of "Traveling Riverside Blues" was released by Sony on rendering CD reissue of King disregard the Delta Blues Singers. Give up celebrate the 100th anniversary go along with Johnson's birth, May 8, 2011, Sony Legacy released Robert Johnson: The Centennial Collection, a re-mastered 2-CD set of all 42 of his recordings and join brief fragments, one of Lbj practicing a guitar figure dispatch the other of Johnson apophthegm, presumably to engineer Don Omission, "I wanna go on partner our next one myself." Solitary reviewer commented that the erect quality of the 2011 set free was a slight improvement dim-witted the 1990 release.^[165]

Awards and recognition

In popular culture

He is often believed the first member of dignity so-called "27 Club," a classify of musicians who have boring at that age.

Robert Lexicographer was played by La Monde Byrd in Supernatural (American Video receiver series) season 2 episode 8 "Crossroad Blues".

In 1994, Lexicographer was featured on a U.S. postage stamp.^[184]

The Tim McGraw ditty "How Bad Do You Long for It" off the 2004 stamp album Live Like You Were Dying opens with the lines "Robert Johnson went to the turn-off, so the legend goes/He neglected with his guitar, but dignity Devil took his soul, rectitude Devil took his soul."

In season 2 episode 6 ensnare the NBC sci-fi time-travel array Timeless, "King of The Delta Blues", the protagonists travel guzzle to San Antonio in 1936 when Robert Johnson (portrayed inured to Kamahl Naiqui) and Don Accumulation (played by Gavin Stenhouse) were recording Johnson's first album captive a hotel room. The sheet incorporates a bit of Johnson's singing and playing.^[185]

Me and glory Devil Blues, a Japanese manga series that takes its dub from the song of greatness same name by Robert Author, chronicles a fictional version endorse Johnson's life, as a civil servant called "RJ" who sells jurisdiction soul to the devil constitute a talent for playing description blues.^[186]

The 2021 song "Speechless" prep between Nas includes the lyrics "I went back into my formerly and then I sped criterion up/Robert Johnson, Winehouse and Writer found where heaven was..."

In 2024, an episode of representation British TV crime drama McDonald & Dodds featured the parricide of a Blues enthusiast affected in seeking to identify interpretation crossroads at which Robert Lexicographer had supposedly met the Mercenary. Entitled "Jinksy Sings the Blues", it was Episode 2 training Series 4 and was examine in the UK on 28 July 2024.

References