by Nicholas Greenwood

Created on: September 01, 2010

Robert Johnson’s musical legacy has been very much enhanced by the element of myth surrounding his life, and this aspect of his life has become arguably as important as the music he left behind. He left only two photographs and 29 known songs recorded (plus 12 alternate takes), yet his influence is far-reaching.

Like numerous other musicians, his death was a mysterious one, and he did not even make it as far as 30, dying aged just 27. The cause of his death still causes debate, and it is unlikely that the mystery will ever be definitively solved. The generally accepted belief is that he was poisoned at one of his own shows, probably by the jealous boyfriend or husband of one of his lovers.

However, the primary constituent of the myth of Robert Johnson was an event in his lifetime. Johnson had not been a musician who stood out, but, following some time away, he returned as the incredible bluesman that we can still hear today. Not helped by the content of his song, ‘Crossroads’, the rumour spread that Johnson had gone to the crossroads and sold his sold to the Devil in exchange for the musical ability he now had. This is, however, usually explained as a metaphor, with the crossroads representing an intersection in his life.

The myth of Robert Johnson is a part of a more general mythology about a genre of music steeped in stories similar to his, particularly in its early days. For example, the story of Son House, who, disliking the new Electric Blues coming out of Chicago, retired from music only to be sought out and got back into the studio 20 years later by two young New Yorkers. This story is similar to that of Skip James, who was 'rediscovered' at around the same time. Another example is that of Leadbelly, whose nickname supposedly comes as a result of him being shot in the stomach, and also the case of Sonny Boy Williamson I, who was killed in a mugging after a show. As such, it would be wrong to attribute the mythological aspect of the Blues solely to Johnson’s legacy as many do, although his story does, admittedly, add a lot of colour to the stories.

Johnson’s musical legacy is unprecedented. Although he only ever recorded 29 different songs, his music has influenced a wide range of artists across a number of genres. The Electric Blues, which emerged in Chicago in the 1930s and 1940s, owes a lot to Johnson, demonstrable by the frequent covers by artists such as Elmore James, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy and B.B. King, to name but a few. By the time of the British Blues Boom in the 1960s, many artists were paying homage to Johnson: the father of British Blues, Alexis Korner, recorded a song entitled ‘Robert Johnson’; John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers recorded covers at this time; The Rolling Stones made ‘Love in Vain’, for example, a hit; Cream recorded covers, most notably of ‘Crossroads’; and Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac did likewise with a number of songs, particularly on their ‘Blues Jam in Chicago’ albums. Eric Clapton has gone on to record two albums of Johnson’s music: ‘Sessions for Robert J’ and ‘Me and Mr. Johnson’. The Peter Green Splinter Group recorded all 29 of Johnson’s songs over two albums. Many of the songs recorded by Johnson have become Blues standards, such as Sweet Home Chicago, which any Blues band professing to be half-decent would be able to give a rendition of.

The legacy of Robert Johnson was left not only through his music, which has had a wide-ranging influence, but also through the myth of his life and, ultimately, his death.

Learn more about this author, Nicholas Greenwood.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.