by Jonathan Nicholas. Reprinted from SWND Magazine August 2020
On Monday November 23 rd 1936 Robert Johnson walked into room 414 of the Gunter Hotel in San Antonio and began a recording career that although brief (his last recordings taking place in Texas in June 1937) would have an impact few artists have ever had in any field, with his music resonating well into the next century directly or indirectly influencing millions of musicians. Although he would not know this fame in his lifetime, dying at the young age of 27 in Greenwood, Mississippi with his only moderate hit being Terraplane Blues. In the two decades after his death, though not forgotten he was only really known to record collectors and those who had heard, known or seen him. Artists he had met in his wanderings such as Elmore James, Little Boy Warren, Sonny Boy Williamson II and many more had covered his work and made songs such as Sweet Home Chicago, Crossroad Blues; and Dust My Broom blues standards but Robert was no more than an obscure bluesman that died young and had a reputation for fast living.
It was in 1961 during the height of the folk revival a compilation of some of his work was released on Columbia records called King of the Delta Blues. This release received widespread acclaim, catapulted Johnson’s fame and influenced many in the British blues scene, most famously Eric Clapton, Peter Green and Keith Richards. The liner notes for King of the Delta Blues contained what we now know to be quite a few inaccuracies. This was understandable, he travelled everywhere from Texas to Canada under many different names and would leave without a moments notice. Such a man is bound to have been wrapped in folklore and legend after he was gone. Perhaps the fable most associated with Johnson is THE deal, you know, the one with the devil at the crossroads at midnight, the Faustian pact to end all pacts. Robert wasn’t the only musician from the era to be connected to the tale. He wasn’t the only Johnson as formidable bluesman Tommy Johnson claimed to have sold his soul for his guitar mastery too in a bid to enhance his reputation and cultivate a sinister persona and Peetie Wheatstraw billed himself as “The Devils son-in-law”. Blues music at the time was seen as sinister too in the church going communities so perhaps Robert adopted this gimmick in an act of defiance. For many it has defined Robert, which sadly takes away from his immense talent and robs his actual tutor, Ike Zimmerman of his glory.
Tied into his myth is his death, poisoned by a jealous husband in a juke joint in 1938. Tall tales were also tied to this with Sonny Boy Williamson II reporting during the blues revival of the 60s that Robert died in his arms and was howling like a dog. Martin Scorsese described Robert Johnson as only existing on the recordings, and to those not around at the time or having no access to a definitive account of his life (Robert being such a mysterious man in his life obviously made this harder to have achieved) its easy to see how the myth overtook the man.
In 2019, blues historians Bruce Cornforth and Gayle Dean Wardlow released their work Up Jumped the Devil – The Real Life of Robert Johnson, a work 50 years in the making that rightly won the prestigious 2020 Penderyn Music Book Prize. Interviewing those who knew Robert and undertaking extensive research into Roberts life and the culture he lived in. Details I had previously thought unimaginable to attain line each page of this book, from his schooling to his musical education with Ike even details such as venues he played, who with and songs he would have covered (All musicians were human jukeboxes then and dollars came from peoples requests). Robert appears to have had an eidetic memory of sorts when it came to music, according to Johnny Shines he could listen to a song on the radio in a bar, and then go and play that song even if he was playing chords he did not know previously. Some people play down his abilities, but do not doubt that Robert was a first class musician and someone far ahead of his time, to somewhat paraphrase the words of Bob Dylan in a recent interview, “Robert was so far ahead of his time I don’t think any of us have caught up yet.”
With this release we now live in a new era where Robert Johnson is no longer myth but a man who we can know about in detail. Another book called “Brother Robert” on the horizon written by his step sister Annye C. Anderson (with Preston Lauterbach) adorned with a new confirmed 3rd photo of Robert holding his Kalamazoo KG-14 on the cover should give a little more color to the story of Roberts life.
As someone who has spent the last ten or so years as a musician devoted to trying to get as close to Roberts playing as I can, I hope that the revelations of the last year put to death the crossroad myth and people appreciate Robert for his incredible writing, mastery as a musician and the massive impact he has had on all music that came after him. The truth is he never needed the Crossroad gimmick, he still resonates with us today.
Jonathan Nicholas is an acoustic blues musician from Swansea, in Wales, UK, described by Broadcaster, Author and Journalist Andrew Smith as “One of the most talented youngDelta blues musicians I have seen in years.” Jonathan’s solo blues work centers around the 1920s and 30s Country Delta blues and focuses on Robert Johnson.