The Legacy of Robert Johnson
Born in Hazelhurst, Mississippi on or around 8 May 1911 Robert Johnson died 27 years later on 16 August 1938 at Three Forks, near Greenwood, Mississippi; even at a time when life expectancy was shorter, Johnson’s was a short life. Facts about Johnson’s life are in short supply, myths are plentiful.
His life has become the very stuff of legend but one undeniable fact is that Robert Johnson has influenced in some way just about every bluesman that followed in his wake…and in turn most every rock guitarist and note a few singers as well.
Some time in 1935, when he was around 24 years of age Johnson went to H.C. Speir’s store in Jackson Mississippi; just like many of his contemporaries, he wanted to record and Speir was a scout for the ARC record label. Come late November 1936 and Robert was in San Antonio to record the first of his twenty-nine sides.
On Monday November 23 he cut ‘Kind Hearted Woman Blues’, the first of thirteen takes of eight different songs. Three days later he was back and cut ‘32-20’ Blues and then the following day he cut nine more takes on seven different songs. He was paid and Johnson then took a train back to Mississippi and resumed the life as an itinerant musician, temporarily richer having pocketed money from his recording session; it is doubtful whether it was more than $100.
Johnson’s first release was ‘Terraplane Blues’ coupled with ‘Kind Hearted Woman Blues’; it would be the only one that sold in reasonable numbers at the time. Next came ‘32-20 Blues’ coupled with ‘Last Fair Deal Gone Down’, followed by ‘I’ll Believe I’ll Dust My Broom’ and ‘Dead Shrimp Blues’. While his sales were not prolific they were clearly good enough for Robert to be summoned back for some more recording. This time he went to Dallas and recorded three more sides on 19 June 1937, the following day he cut thirteen more takes of ten more songs.
After his recording session Robert played around Texas, accompanied by Johnny Shines. They played Jukes, parties and dances, just as they had always done before heading back to Mississippi via Arkansas. Details of the rest of this year are sketchy, although it is known that Robert spent some time in Memphis and Helena, Arkansas.
Gayle Dean Wardlow, a Mississippi journalist, went in search of Robert Johnson’s death certificate, and found it in 1968. It confirmed that Robert had died in Greenwood on 16th August 1938 aged twenty-seven years old.
We have gathered together what are many of the definitive covers of Robert Johnson’s songs. We have also found some less well known covers that will offer both an insight into Johnson’s prodigious talent as well as the respect by which he’s held by everyone from The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton and Led Zeppelin to Muddy Waters, Elmore James and Casandra Wilson. The legacy of Robert Johnson is huge, without him 20th century music may have taken a somewhat different course.
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