From Yahoo..*JACKSON, Miss. – The mystery surrounding bluesman Robert Johnson's life and death feeds the lingering fascination with his work.There's the myth he sold his soul to the devil to create his haunting guitar intonations. There's the dispute over where he died after his alleged poisoning by a jealous man in 1938. Three different markers claim to be the site of his demise.
His birthplace, however, has been verified. The seminal bluesman came into the world in 1911 in a well-crafted home built by his stepfather in the Mississippi town of Hazlehurst.
Now, 71 years after his death, local officials want to restore the home in hopes of drawing Johnson fans and their tourism dollars to Copiah County, about 100 miles from the Delta region that most bluesmen call home.*
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This is exciting news to us blues fans and it's been a long time coming. Robert Johnson was an enigma. He'd even hide his guitar fingering, he didn't want anyone to steal it. Legend has it, he went down to the crossroads. I love me some Robert Johnson and I love me some blues. All I can play is rhythm, I reckon the Devil didn't want me. I'd sure like to see that house.
10 comments:
Oh yes! He was depicted in the movie "O Brother Where Art Thou", wasn't he?
I think Eddie Van Halen stole that move of hiding his guitar fingerings.
I can recognize his music anywhere. Pure GENIUS!
Looked him up. He died 3 days after something happened to him in a barroom. Some said stabbed, most said poisoned. Couldn't find anything about his place of burial.
It's a good mystery!
I love the blues too but didn't get into it until I was in my 30s.
Well, I'm glad I have a few fellow blues fans on here. My son and I used to listen to RJ. Eric could play some blues when the mood struck him.
what is it with famous musicians dying at 27? i didn't know he died at 27.....hmmmm.....interesting tidbit....
Is it weird he was born in a house his Step Father built? Hmmm
The 27 club is a strange phenom. Really strange.
I never comment on my favourite posts, words don't come to me. But I got a rush when I opened your blog and saw the Robert Johnson pic and felt a warm, rooted, 'real' feeling, so nice and wouldn't have guessed you loved the blues. Me too, used to play piano in a blues band and those young guys (I was young too) taught me all i know about the roots of blues - forever grateful.
1:56:00 PM, yep, I've always loved the blues. I was playing and singing some RJ last night after I posted this.
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