The Crossroads: Selling Your Soul for Rock n' Roll

Abstract

The allure of rock n’ roll is born of mystique and fantasy, and rock helps fans channel their affective needs, making it an accessible forum to build identity and connect with others. Music has also been shown to possess transcendent qualities, though oftentimes these ethereal properties are “dark” in nature, emblematic of the indulgent, deviant, and hedonistic aspects often attributed to rock music. The origin of rock n’ roll can arguably be traced back to one man – and one myth: the American blues musician, Robert Johnson, who allegedly “sold his soul” to the devil for virtuosic guitar playing ability, thus giving birth to the blues. This essay seeks to explore his origin story as the mythic root of rock music and ask how Johnson set the stage for deviance as an inherent quality of rock music as embraced by fans.

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