This is the first installation of a series I’m calling “Way Back Wednesdays” completely stolen off a radio program I used to listen to as a kid where for an hour they’d be all kinds of nostalgic hits from the 60’s and 70’s. It was my only education of music from, way back.
In honor of Black History Month, I wanted to start this series off right with Robert Johnson- founding father of rock & roll and blues. He was legendary, specifically in Delta Blues, and was considered one of the best guitarists of all time. His life exists mostly in his records, a lot of his personal life is widely unknown. There is a mythology that surrounds him and the devil, recognized as “The Devil and Robert Johnson” where it was thought that he made a deal with the devil and sold his soul to make music. During the 30’s in Mississipi, these kinds of beliefs weren’t uncommon. Johnsons often dark and demonic imagery lends itself to those assumptions. What’s even more interesting is the cause of his death. His affinity for women took him too far when he began flirting with a bar owner’s wife at a show at Three Forks in Mississipi. The bar owner then offered Johnson some poisoned whiskey, he then died a few days later.
He’s been touted as a legend by everyone from Eric Clapton, Jimmy Hendrix, Cream, The Rolling Stones- as one of the most influential bluesmen of all time.
