Chapter 03 of 5
The Crossroads Legend
Robert Johnson: 29 songs, a mysterious death and a deal with the devil.
- The Man
Robert Johnson
Robert Johnson was born in Mississippi in 1911. He spent his short life travelling between juke joints and street corners.
- The Beginner
Not very good
As a young man he hung around older bluesmen like Son House. By House's account, his playing back then was pretty poor.
- The Vanishing
Gone for a while
Then Johnson went away for a while, perhaps a year or so. Nobody is quite sure where.
17 more cards in this chapter
Could you answer this?
How many songs did Robert Johnson record in his lifetime?
🎸 How the Blues Built Rock
- 01Born in the DeltaHow work songs, field hollers and a few bent notes became the blues.
- 02The Blues QueensThe women who made the first blues records, and sold them by the hundred thousand.
- 03The Crossroads LegendRobert Johnson: 29 songs, a mysterious death and a deal with the devil.
- 04Going Electric in ChicagoThe Great Migration, Muddy Waters and the record label that made the blues loud.
- 05The Blues Comes HomeHow British bands sold the blues back to America, and what they owed.