Searching for Robert Johnson

Abstract

This is an essay on the life and legend of the King of the Delta Blues Singers. While probably the most influential of all blues singers, he has remained one of the most historically obscure. He was the chief influence upon Muddy Waters and inspiration for Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones and a whole generation of rock and roll. He was well known for the originality of his work and the tormented sensibility that lay behind it. Poisoned by a jealous husband in 1938 at the age of 27, his myth has at times overshadowed his music, giving rise to numerous attempts at elucidation in the form of short stories, tall tales, screenplays, the movie Crossroads and countless homages over the years. His Faustian bargain with the devil is at the heart of the blues myth. The author has also written Feel Like Going Home, Lost Highway and Sweet Soul Music.

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