Why Mr. Johnson?

In using blues musicians as sign posts that designate which generation they're from, Robert Johnson seems to be a stand out of a sign post. This begs the question: why him?

Was he a great guitarist and overall premier entertainer? From all accounts, yes. His musical legacy is fairly substantial, comparatively speaking. Was this his greatest asset in becoming as popular as he did? Probably not.

What may have been his greatest asset was the insinuation that he made a deal with devll. It is regarded as down south folklore that he told the devil his soul was his for the taking if the devil would make Robert famous.

It is said that Robert Johnson had been out of the public eye for months on end after the legendary encounter at the cross roads, when he finally showed up a a juke joint. His buddies asked about his whereabouts and he said he had found a woman. When he ended up playing that night, it is said that he played with such fire and passion like nobody had seen before.

He, like many of the bluesmen of the day, had legendary sex lives. Woman would literally magnetize to Mr. Johnson and it wasn't before long that his womanizing got him into enough trouble, he would find himself dead at the age of 27. I hope the devil is kind to Mr. Johnson because he gave some of the most inspiring music to the musicians that followed in his path.

Lets Begin In The Fields

There really is no question as to where the blues originate from. It was born in the cotton fields, on the plantations, in the whipping shack and all the other places where black people were repressed and treated like something other than human. This is where deep down it all started.

Mind you, the blues have taken on many other subjects that have made men and women feel down and out - lost loves, floods, drinking the wrong liquid and screwin' around with the wrong type of woman (& men). The list is endless and it continues today. I'm sure there is more than one blues artist who is writing or has written a song about a hurricane comin' to town and turnin' lives upside down.

One of the earliest blues artists to be known as such was Son House. He is reputed to have taught Robert Johnson a thing or two on the guitar. Once I get to know how this blog works, I'll post some audio clips. Stay tuned.