I recently watched a documentary about the life of blues legend Robert Johnson, and it lit a fire underneath me to find out more about his life.
It’s interesting how much more captivated people can be when mystery and myth surround a person – it instantly makes them more intriguing and Robert Johnson definitely had a lot of both.
Not much is known about the blues man, he was born in Mississippi in 1911 and there are only two photos of him and no video footage.
The stories say that he had the reputation of not being a good guitar player and frequently travelled around busking for tips on street corners. He apparently left his hometown for about a year, and when he came back, his guitar-playing skills were better than some of the best players at the time.
People in his hometown couldn’t believe how he had become that good in such a short space of time. The rumour was that he must have been involved in some kind of sorcery and the story soon spread about Johnson making a deal with the devil – in exchange for his soul, Johnson became one of the best guitarists in history. From there the connection with the devil followed him until his incredibly young and tragic death.
With a life filled with loss and heartache and with only 29 songs recorded, at the age of 27 Johnson was killed – the stories vary, but the main theory is that Johnson was poisoned by the husband of a woman with whom he was having an affair with. He drank from a bottle of whiskey given to him by the man, but he was never found or prosecuted.
With an eerie sounding voice and guitar skills that make you think at least two people are playing, Johnson’s music is said to be the foundation of blues and rock and roll. If you listen to his records, it’s clear why he is the legend he is.
So, add listening to Robert Johnson to your to-do-list and take a moment to really appreciate the skill that this man had – and remember that these songs are over 80 years old.
Enjoy and stay musical.