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It was midnight as a young Robert Johnson with burning desire to play the blues would meet large black man at the crossroad in a rural area in Mississippi. This large black man took his Robert Johnson's guitar and turned it for him. He gave back Robert Johnson guitar and he would become the king of Delta Blues singers. The large black man was the devil and Robert Johnson greatest talent of playing the blues would cost him his soul. This mystic tell was told by his fellow blues singers; Son House, Johnny Shine and Tommy Johnson.
Robert Johnson was born on May 8, 1911, in Hazlehurst, Mississippi. His parents were Julia Major Dodds and Charles Dodds. Julia Major Dodds and Charles Dodds parents were born into slavery in the south. Julia Major Dodds had ten children from her husband Charles Dodds. Robert was born out of wedlock and was the eleventh child. Julia had an affair with a man named Noah Johnson while her husband was out traveling on business. This affair would cause the Dodds marriage to end. Charles would change his last name to Spencer. Robert would also take the last name of Spencer. Charles and Robert got along, even though Robert was fathered by another man. Robert Johnson wouldn't find out that Noah was his father until his teen years. Robert would again change his last name to Johnson.
The Dodd family had many moments of drama in their lives. His stepfather Charles Dodd was chased out Hazlehurst by an angry mob of men. Some say Charles had to dress like a woman and sneak out of town. Julia Major Dodds would stay behind with her two daughters. Julia would get evicted from her home for not paying her taxes. Julia would work in the cotton field as an itinerant field worker and live in the camps of different plantations. Robert would live with Julia's youngest sister while his mother worked the fields. Robert would live with different family member throughout his life.
Several years later, Julia would eventually remarry a man named Dusty Willis. Robert Johnson would live with his mother and Dusty Willis for awhile. Robert had just started playing the harmonica and Jew's harp and also played the guitar. Dusty did care much for music and would not let him play music in family home. Robert Johnson left home to join his musician partners and never went back. Being a sharecropper was not on this young fellow's mind, he wanted to become a blues musician.
Robert Johnson was not as good as his musician buddies in his early days, but
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The legacy of blues musician Robert Johnson
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