Robert johnson biography devil went down

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More in Music. Then one night, while House and Brown were playing another gig in Banks, Mississippi, in walks Johnson with a guitar case strapped to his back. House elbowed Brown and pointed mockingly at "Little Robert. But this time, something was different. Johnson took out his instrument, a regular six-string guitar fitted with an extra seventh string, something neither House nor Brown had seen before.

But that wasn't the only new thing. Johnson had acquired an insane skill level and unusual technique, strumming a series of rapid-fire chords that made the guitar sound almost like a piano — a piano with three hands playing it. How could this kid, who was lousy enough to get kicked off the stage in Robinsonville, return just a year later as the most talented blues guitarist in the Delta?

To the stunned crowd in Banks, Mississippi, there was only one explanation — Johnson had made a deal with the devil. To God-fearing black folks living in the s Deep South, the blues was clearly "the devil's music. So it would've made perfect sense that Johnson's unearthly talent was bestowed by Satan. In fact, Johnson wasn't the first blues musician who reportedly honed his skills with help from the Prince of Darkness.

An earlier guitar hero named Tommy Johnson — who is not related to Robert Johnson, but grew up in the same Mississippi county — was rumored to have gone down to the crossroads and had his guitar tuned by the devil himself. A biography of Tommy Johnson includes an interview with his brother who says Tommy personally told him the story of this meeting.

When the same soul-selling story was told of Robert Johnson, he did little to dispel the rumor. In fact, he may have cultivated the devilish connection. Steven Johnson — singer, a preacher and vice president of the Robert Johnson Blues Foundation — has a far more earthly explanation for how his grandfather Robert transformed seemingly overnight from an awkward amateur into the guitar-playing genius who has inspired generations of world-famous musicians, including Bob Dylan, Keith Richards and Eric Clapton.

Law added to the mystique surrounding Johnson, representing him as very young and extraordinarily shy. The blues researcher Mack McCormick began researching Johnson's family background inbut died in without publishing his findings. McCormick's research eventually became as much a legend as Johnson himself. A revised summary acknowledging major contributors was written by Stephen LaVere for the booklet accompanying Robert Johnson, The Complete Recordings box set The documentary film The Search for Robert Johnson contains accounts by McCormick and Wardlow of what informants have told them: long interviews of David "Honeyboy" Edwards and Johnny Shines and short interviews of surviving friends and family.

Robert johnson biography devil went down: Masterfully written and eminently readable. "Up

Shines, Edwards and Robert Jr. Lockwood contribute interviews. These published biographical sketches achieve coherent narratives, partly by ignoring reminiscences and hearsay accounts which contradict or conflict with their accounts. Until the s, it was believed that no images of Johnson had survived. However, three images of Johnson were located in andin the possession of his half-sister Carrie Thompson.

The "dime-store photo" was first published, almost in passing, in an issue of Rolling Stone magazine inand the studio portrait in a article by Stephen Calt and Gayle Dean Wardlow in 78 Quarterly. Because Mississippi roberts johnson biography devil went down in determined that Robert Johnson's heir was Claud Johnson, a son born out of wedlock, the estate share of all monies paid to LaVere by CBS and others ended up going to Claud Johnson, and attempts by the heirs of Carrie Thompson to obtain a ruling that the photographs were her personal property and not part of the estate were dismissed.

McCormick's daughter donated the archive to the Smithsonian Institution in and encouraged museum staff to facilitate the return of the photograph to Johnson's descendants; as ofThe Washington Post reported that the museum had agreed to return the photograph and was awaiting instructions from the Johnson family. Another photograph, purporting to show Johnson posing with the blues musician Johnny Shineswas published in the November issue of Vanity Fair magazine.

Further, both "Honeyboy" Edwards and Robert Jr. Lockwood failed to identify either man in the photo. Facial recognition software concluded that neither man was Johnson or Shines. Finally, Gibson claimed the photo was from to but it is known that Johnson did not meet Shines until early There are a number of reasons why the photograph is unlikely to be Johnson: it has been proven that Craft died before Johnson met Coleman, the clothing could not be prior to the late s, the furniture is from the s, the Coca-Cola bottle cannot be from prior toetc.

A third photograph of Johnson, this time smiling, was published in It is believed to have been taken in Memphis on the same occasion as the verified photograph of him with a guitar and cigarette part of the "dime-store" setand is in the possession of Annye Anderson, Johnson's step-sister Anderson is the daughter of Charles Dodds, later Spencer, who was married to Robert's mother but was not his father.

As a child, Anderson grew up in the same family as Johnson and has claimed to have been present, aged 10 or 11, on the occasion the photograph was taken. This photograph was published in Vanity Fair in Mayas the cover image for a book, Brother Robert: Growing Up with Robert Johnsonwritten by Anderson in collaboration with author Preston Lauterbach, [ ] and is considered to be authentic by Johnson scholar Elijah Wald.

Johnson left no will. The relationship was attested to by a friend, Eula Mae Williams, but other relatives descended from Robert Johnson's half-sister, Carrie Harris Thompson, contested Claud Johnson's claim. Eleven rpm records by Johnson were released by Vocalion Records in andwith additional pressings by ARC budget labels. Ina twelfth was issued posthumously.

The Complete Recordingsa two-disc set, released on August 28,contains almost everything Johnson recorded, with all 29 recordings, and 12 alternate takes. To celebrate the th anniversary of Johnson's birth, May 8,Sony Legacy released Robert Johnson: The Centennial Collectiona re-mastered 2-CD set of all 42 of his recordings [ ] and two brief fragments, one of Johnson practicing a guitar figure and the other of Johnson saying, presumably to engineer Don Law, "I wanna go on with our next one myself.

He is often considered the first member of the so-called " 27 Club ," a group of musicians who have died at that age. InJohnson was featured on a U. The episode incorporates a bit of Johnson's singing and playing. Me and the Devil Bluesa Japanese manga series that takes its title from the song of the same name by Robert Johnson, chronicles a fictional version of Johnson's life, as a man called "RJ" who sells his soul to the devil for a talent for playing the blues.

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Robert johnson biography devil went down: Johnson's poorly documented life and

Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikidata item. American blues musician — For other people named Robert Johnson, see Robert Johnson disambiguation. Not to be confused with Lonnie Johnson. Musical artist. Life and career [ edit ].

Robert johnson biography devil went down: Netflix released a documentary, Remastered:

Early life [ edit ]. Itinerant musician [ edit ]. Recording sessions [ edit ]. Death [ edit ]. Gravesite [ edit ]. Devil legend [ edit ]. Various accounts [ edit ]. Interpretations [ edit ]. Musical style [ edit ]. Voice [ edit ]. Instrument [ edit ]. Lyrics [ edit ]. Influences [ edit ]. Legacy [ edit ]. Early recognition and reviews [ edit ].

Musicianship [ edit ]. Contemporaries [ edit ]. Blues standards [ edit ]. Rock music [ edit ]. Problems of biography [ edit ]. The thing about Robert Johnson was that he only existed on his records. He was pure legend. Photographs [ edit ]. Descendants [ edit ]. Discography [ edit ]. Awards and recognition [ edit ]. In popular culture [ edit ].

References [ edit ]. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Retrieved September 25, Retrieved May 18, Mississippi Blues Trail. Living Blues. ISSN Retrieved May 22, Retrieved April 15, Retrieved April 2, Retrieved December 5, — via YouTube. US National Park Service. October 25, Retrieved February 21, Tommy Johnson. Studio Vista, p. ISBN London: Studio Vista.

January—February The Story with Dick Gordon television program. American Public Media. September 9, July 26, August 26, Retrieved November 4, Retrieved April 16, Retrieved October 24, Retrieved July 24, Retrieved October 21, November 10, Retrieved October 25, Archived from the original on August 22, Retrieved October 30, March 30, Retrieved October 27, Event occurs at Retrieved August 6, Anderson v.

Stephen C. For the Blues, no legend is bigger than the story of Robert Johnson. As the tale goes, on a clear Mississippi night, Robert went down to the crossroads of Highway 61 and Highway 49 and struck a deal with the Devil, selling his soul for the ability to play guitar better than any man alive. The story of Robert Johnson and the Devil has been around for almost 90 years.

Proof has been difficult to come by for Blues researchers. Up Jumped the Devil is the product of 50 years of research. Conforth and Wardlow conducted interviews with people throughout Mississippi for decades. They combed county and state census records, filings, and licenses.