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Robert Johnson
1,639,946 plays (128,083 listeners)
blues, delta blues, guitar, acoustic, folk… see all
Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911 to August 16, 1938) is arguably the most famous Delta blues singer and guitarist in history, even though he didn’t live to see his twenty eighth birthday and didn’t start recording until three years before his death.
Despite having such little time in the music industry, Robert Johnson has become widely acclaimed and popular, and has profoundly influenced a wide spectrum of musicians, some of whom view him as a near demi-god. Among his more well-known fanbase are Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, and most famously Eric Clapton and Cream. Clapton has covered many Johnson songs, a big portion of his “Unplugged” line up were Johnson compositions and an entire album full of covers titled “Me and Mr. Johnson.”
The most widely known legend surrounding Robert Johnson says that he sold his soul to the Devil at the crossroads of U.S. Highway 61 and U.S. Highway 49 in Clarksdale, Mississippi in exchange for prowess in playing the guitar. Actually, the location Johnson made reference to is a short distance away from that intersection. The legend was told mainly by Son House, but finds no corroboration in any of Johnson’s work, despite titles like “Me and the Devil Blues” and “Hellhound on My Trail”. With this said, the song “Cross Road Blues” is both widely and loosely interpreted by many as a descriptive encounter of Johnson selling his soul.
The older Tommy Johnson (no relation, although it is speculated that they were cousins), by contrast, also claimed to have sold his soul to the Devil.
Despite having such little time in the music industry, Robert Johnson has become widely acclaimed and popular, and has profoundly influenced a wide spectrum of musicians, some of whom view him as a near demi-god. Among his more well-known fanbase are Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, and most famously Eric Clapton and Cream. Clapton has covered many Johnson songs, a big portion of his “Unplugged” line up were Johnson compositions and an entire album full of covers titled “Me and Mr. Johnson.”
The most widely known legend surrounding Robert Johnson says that he sold his soul to the Devil at the crossroads of U.S. Highway 61 and U.S. Highway 49 in Clarksdale, Mississippi in exchange for prowess in playing the guitar. Actually, the location Johnson made reference to is a short distance away from that intersection. The legend was told mainly by Son House, but finds no corroboration in any of Johnson’s work, despite titles like “Me and the Devil Blues” and “Hellhound on My Trail”. With this said, the song “Cross Road Blues” is both widely and loosely interpreted by many as a descriptive encounter of Johnson selling his soul.
The older Tommy Johnson (no relation, although it is speculated that they were cousins), by contrast, also claimed to have sold his soul to the Devil.
Videos
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Play
Robert Johnson 3220 blues
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Play
Robert Johnson-Drunken Hearted Man
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Play
Robert Johnson - I'm A Steady Rollin Man
Top Albums
Top Tracks
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Sweet Home Chicago
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| 2 |
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Cross Road Blues
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Terraplane Blues
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Come On In My Kitchen
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32-20 Blues
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| 6 |
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I Believe I'll Dust My Broom
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| 7 |
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Me and the Devil Blues
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| 8 |
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Ramblin' On My Mind
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| 9 |
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Last Fair Deal Gone Down
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| 10 |
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When You Got A Good Friend
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| 11 |
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They're Red Hot
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| 12 |
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Traveling Riverside Blues
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| 13 |
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I'm A Steady Rollin' Man
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| 14 |
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Stones in My Passway
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Shoutbox
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unspeakablerx wrote:
oh boys, i just can't take my rest...
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sambhramp wrote:
Hellhound is on your trail!!!
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Saturnlane wrote:
Come and join www.last.fm/group/Soul-Funk-Blues-Jazz+and+Psychedelic+Grooves and groove to the music of the soul.
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HardRokas wrote:
I love cross road blues.
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theworldxxx wrote:
The devil came to my home.
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benjauniversal wrote:
probably some of the wickedest music arround
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RacerX996 wrote:
Probably one of the most covered blues artists ever.
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[deleted-user]
wrote:
Claptn's covers are cool, but no way they could beat the originals, no one can beat Mr. Johnson
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adamtaplin wrote:
Truly breathtaking. It took me about a year to appreciate this man's music,now it's the only thing that plays in my head. Awesome.
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Eric_Blair wrote:
What exactly did Robert Johnson "found" Linus-Grunger?
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Linus-Grunger wrote:
For the respect of the Founder and Genius Robert Johnson, who died at 27 Years Old, Please Join This Group... http://www.last.fm/group/The+Twenty+Seven+Club
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lusion01 wrote:
No wonder why Eric Clapton praised this man soo much .. I barely noticed those alternate takes from "the complete recordings"!
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CoolJack wrote:
If you like Robert Johnson look at these musicians: Bo Carter,Ed Bell, Sam Collins, King Solomon Hill. If you need help finding any of their music give me a shout! these musicians need love too.
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apoSux wrote:
coolness³
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Oppressotron wrote:
Robert is the godfather of all things heavy! The godlike guitar skills, the chilling voice, the unabashed emotion all culminate in this legendary man. Without a doubt, he is one of my biggest sources of inspiration and I know a great many feel the same way.
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Ziplock74 wrote:
the god of all that is music
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Stepho_1 wrote:
so unbelievably influencial... the man, the legend and the music will live on forever!
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sass113 wrote:
found him in my dads collection with some son house and some stephen dale petit www.myspace.com/guitararama
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Shaunography wrote:
http://www.last.fm/group/We+love+bad+production!
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whutupp wrote:
Geez, founding father of the 27 club. Insane.
Listeners
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lardboy
Listening now
to Crossroads Blues -
illymitatamente
Listening now
to 32-20 Blues -
Devilthebeats
Listening now
to Walkin' Blues -
flachmaster
Top Listener
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dropio
Top Listener
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Juziks
Top Listener
Recent Activity
- ColonelLazers, highre and meatloom added Robert Johnson to their libraries. 4 hours ago
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- Darioshii tagged Robert Johnson with ‘delta blues’. yesterday afternoon
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- Denestria tagged Robert Johnson with ‘30s’. Saturday morning
- maesepolux and sergiojordan added Robert Johnson to their libraries. Saturday morning
- rollorol tagged Robert Johnson with ‘blues’ and ‘delta blues’. Friday evening
- candle_box2 tagged Robert Johnson with ‘delta blues’, ‘classic blues’, ‘mississippi’, ‘guitar’, ‘blues’, ‘blues guitar’ and ‘30s’. Friday evening
- IrisGinetta, mcable, aikidoh and 4 other people added Robert Johnson to their libraries. Friday evening
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