Robert Johnson

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There are several people by the name Robert Johnson:

1) A U.S. blues guitarist, singer, and composer (1911-1938).
2) An English lutenist and composer (c.1580-c.1634).
3) A U.S. rock musician.

1) Robert Johnson (1911-1938) was a U.S. singer, guitarist, and songwriter, among the most famous of Delta blues musicians.

His landmark recordings from 1936 to 1937 display a remarkable combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that have influenced generations of musicians. Johnson’s shadowy, poorly documented life, and death at the age of twenty-seven have given rise to much legend.

The most widely known legend surrounding Robert Johnson says that he sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads of U.S. Highway 61 and U.S. Highway 49 in Clarksdale, Mississippi, in exchange for prowess in playing the guitar. Actually, the location Johnson made reference to is a short distance away from that intersection. The legend was told mainly by Son House, but finds no corroboration in any of Johnson’s work, despite titles like “Me And The Devil Blues” and “Hellhound On My Trail”. This said, the song “Cross Road Blues” is both widely and loosely interpreted by many as a descriptive encounter of Johnson selling his soul.

The older Tommy Johnson (probably no relation, although it is speculated that they were cousins), by contrast, also claimed to have sold his soul to the devil. The story was that if someone went to the crossroads a little before midnight and began to play the guitar, a large black man would come up to him, retune his guitar, and hand it back.
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  • ksjn

    please up the pic of RJ's contemporary: www.last.fm/music/Oscar+Alem%C3%A1n/+images/77798982 who`s sporting a 6-string as well

    11 days ago
  • MetalRocknAles

    Robert Johnson is Blues at its best!

    14 days ago
  • almagal

    101 years ago today, the founder of all modern music was introduced to the world. Robert Johnson is the King of the Delta Blues and the precursor to all good music.

    21 days ago
  • Rafaelsl18

    i will sell my soul to the Devil too

    22 days ago
  • kellmsa

    Robert Johnson>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>blues today. Legend[19]

    last month
  • Lowbacca

    ░░░░█░░░░░█████░██████░░█████░██░░░█░█████░░░░░ ░░░░█░░░░░█░░░░░█░░░░░░░█░░░░░█░█░░█░█░░░░█░░░░ ░░░░█░░░░░█████░█░░███░░█████░█░░█░█░█░░░░█░░░░ ░░░░█░░░░░█░░░░░█░░░░█░░█░░░░░█░░░██░█░░░░█░░░░ ░░░░█████░█████░██████░░█████░█░░░░█░█████░░░░░ [18]

    last month
  • L57NT

    @okgiant: dont forget he sold his soul to the Devil. He can everything.

    last month
  • lud_wig

    para nossa alegria

    March 2012
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