This is a legend about Robert Johnson, a poor blues guitar player, who went down the crossroads at midnight and made a deal with the devil to be the best blues player ever. Many of the early Rock legends studied the early work of Robert Johnson. That’s what you better be prepared for. You take one more step, you’ll be in Rosedale. The term crossroads literally describes the spot where the paths of two different roads intersect. By the early 1900’s slavery had been abolished for several decades, but life in the delta for the former slaves and their families was often just as oppressive as slave life. People say that the crossroads where Robert Johnson made the pact with the devil is in Clarksdale where Highway 49 intersects with Highway 61. I got his soul in my hand.”. Thirteen months later, he recorded 13 more songs. With a capital “V”. We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil in Rosedale, Mississippi. Man sitting off to the side of the road on a log at the crossroads says, “You’re late, Robert Johnson.” Robert Johnson drops to his knees and says, “Maybe not.”, The man stands up, tall, barrel-chested, and black as the forever-closed eyes of Robert Johnson’s stillborn baby, and walks out to the middle of the crossroads where Robert Johnson kneels. In 1936, Robert cut his first record, recording 16 of his original songs. Legends from the Deep South say that crossroads are places where deals with the Devil can be made, or where contests can be preformed to obtain the rights to a particular soul. As I was eating lunch in a place called Leo’s Market, a waitress mentioned that Rosedale is the place where the legendary bluesman Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil in exchange for musical genius (an event alluded to in — among other places — the Cohen brothers’ movie Oh Brother, Where Art Thou). The Kalamazoo, which Robert painted black, was defective, and the Stella sold by Sears & Roebuck was a very cheap instrument. That’s the sound of the Delta Blues.”, “I got to have that sound, Devil-Man. As if to prove it, the waitress handed me a wrinkled, typewritten transcription of a “vision” about Johnson’s fateful moment that had appeared to bluesman Henry Goodman as he was traveling the road from Rosedale to Anguila. Last month, while I was driving down the Mississippi River on a magazine assignment, I had a curious experience in Rosedale, Mississippi. “I know you, Robert Johnson,” says the man. One of the legends often told says that Johnson was instructed to take his guitar to a crossroad near Dockery Plantationat midnight. In fact, Robert was playing songs that he had written during his absence like, “Cross Road Blues” and “Hell Hound on My Trail,” which seemed to validate the rumor. At this time in the south, no white doctor would see a black patient, and no black doctors would see Robert because of the crossroads rumor. In the summer of 1938, Robert returned to Greenwood, Mississippi. In 1994, the United States Postal Department issued its commemorative stamp of Robert Johnson. Sources: “Robert Johnson” Wikipedia, pulled 10/22/12 Everyone was listening to the music of Robert Johnson. Haunted crossroads have long been suspected for the strange disappearance of travelers. Well, you can’t define the Blues. Where was he laid to rest? Can get a drink of whiskey and more up there. The crossroads of Highways 61 and 49 where Robert Johnson allegedly sold his soul to the devil in return for musical genius is commemorated with three blue guitars. No one knew it at the time, but the Mississippi delta was about to give birth to a form of music that would revolutionize the world; rhythm and blues. In 1986, Robert Johnson was honored in the first group of five “forefathers” inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland Ohio. During this time these hard working people searched for ways to escape the cruel and agonizing existence of the delta. But, as can be seen from the events described above, that’s not the case. A hole was dug in a field and Robert was buried. Robert was given the same kind of burial that a homeless man would receive. On August 16, 1938 Robert Johnson, the king of the Delta Blues died. Cover songs have been done by Eric Clapton, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Allman Brothers Band, Led Zepplin, the Rolling Stones, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and countless of other Rock and Roll bands, who still continue to pay tribute to this blues legend. He had settled into life as a farmer. That’s the way I learned to play anything I want.” ~Tommy Johnson, Enter your email address below to subscribe to our newsletter. Robert Johnson became the first African America to have his music played in the mainstream jukeboxes all across the US. No one claimed Robert’s body, so the town buried him. One old legend tells that the lost souls of suicide victims remain trapped at the crossroads until they are forgiven and set free. On the night of All Hallows Eve, Halloween October 31st, the souls of the dead will appear and can be conjured at the crossroads. No one in the crowd could believe what they were hearing. He was offered a job playing at a local juke joint. The man says, “The dog ain’t for sale, Robert Johnson, but the sound can be yours. Then, on one hot summers day nine months later, as suddenly as he had vanished, Robert Johnson strolled back into town and changed the history of music. Last month, while I was driving down the Mississippi River on a magazine assignment, I had a curious experience in Rosedale, Mississippi.

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