Robert Johnson

Biography

Its childhood

Robert Johnson was born in the delta from the the Mississippi in the village from Hazlehurst from Julia Dodds and Noah Johnson . Its birth date is not known with precision, the traces which it left suggest dates going of 1909 with 1912.

Whereas it was still Nourrisson, his/her mother and her Carrie sister leave her father and live on the road working of a field to another during several seasons before being established with Memphis at some Charles Spencer . Spencer lives then with his wife and her mistress and the children of each one of them. Although no tension was reported between the two women, the mother of Robert leaves the house of Spencer without her children. Robert saw in Memphis at Charles Spencer until 1918 dates to which the stubborn character of Robert convinces his host that the presence of his/her mother to raise it proves to be necessary.

Robert, who took the name of Spencer, thus leaves for Robinsonville, a community Coton nière of the north of the the Mississippi to 20 miles in the south of Memphis. He passes there the end of his childhood in company of his mother and his new father-in-law, Willie " Dusty" Willis, which married his/her mother in October 1916. It is at that time that Robert is interested in the music. After a first test of the Old crock, it quickly gives up it with the profit of the Harmonica which becomes its principal instrument. It is also during its adolescence that he learns the existence from his true father and starts to be made call Johnson (he however continues to use the name of Spencer until the medium of the Années 1920 in particular at the school which he quickly leaves because of problems of sight).

Its beginnings

At the end of the Years 1920, it is put at the guitar and makes a support for its harmonica in order to use the two instruments simultaneously. The song of Leroy Carr, How Length-How Long Blues , seems to be one of its favorite at that time to be exerted with the music. In his beginnings of musician with Robinsonville, Robert in particular receives the assistance of Willie Brown and inevitable the Charley Patton.

Although Robert impassions himself for the music, he regards himself only as a Paysan when he marries, in February 1929, Virginia Travis with Penton in the Mississippi. They move then into a house in company of the older sister of Robert, Bessie, and of her husband on the Plantation of Kline in the east of Robinsonville.

Virginia falls pregnant during the be 1929 but she dies, at 16 years, with her child at the time of the Accouchement in April 1930.

The pact with the devil

It is in 1931 that it meets Its House for the first time. This last, listening to it to play, ridicules it ( " you cannot play of the guitar, you make flee the gens" ) and advises to him to give up the guitar to concentrate on the harmonica. Little time after this affront, it leaves Robinsonville for its birthplace Hazlehurst in which it hopes to find the trace of his true father.

In Hazlehurst, Robert falls between the hands from the bluesman Ike Zinnerman which becomes its mentor. In addition, being fine young man, it does not put much time to meet a new woman, Calletta " Callie" Kraft, ten years its elder, which he marries in secrecy in May 1931. Callie idolâtre Robert and deals with all its intendance, cooking and working for him. This leaves much time with Robert to work the music at Ike. Saturday evening, it goes in the taverns, sometimes accompanied by Callie, to play all during the night. It then starts to obtain a certain respect as a musician and is made a name under the initial ones of R.L. (for Robert Lonnie of the name of a more famous musician also called Johnson).

Robert returns finally in Robinsonville two years after having left it. Its House is deafened by the progress made by the acknowledging guitarist even as it is now exceeded. It is because of this amazing progress that the legend of the pact with the devil will be born at one time when the Vaudou is still very long-lived in the black community of the Mississippi.

Robert Johnson will benefit from this rumor to set up the legend. One day, it brings together some friends with the corner of a wood and tells them what will become its legend: one evening very dark whereas he walked in the neighborhoods of Clarksdale in the Mississippi, he lost himself with a crossroads ( crossroads in English). Whereas it started to fall asleep a fresh breeze awoke it. He saw with the top of him an immense shade with a long hat. Frightened, not being able to disfigure this appearance Johnson remained as paralyzed. Without a word the appearance leant, took its guitar, granted it, played some divine notes before returning the instrument to him and disappearing in the black wind from the South.

Its career of bluesman

Robinsonville being mainly a town of peasants, Robert realizes that it does not wish to work in the fields and thus decides to leave to carry out his life of musician. This leads it to travel in all the delta of the Mississippi and it ends up being established (although never not stopping travelling) to Helena at Estella Coleman, one of its mistresses. Besides Robert takes under his wing the son of Estella which carries the same first name as him, Robert Lockwood Jr., and assistance to improve its play.

Helena is a very rich city musicalement and Robert côtoie of the artists such as Sony Boy Williamson II, Robert Nighthawk, Elmore James, Howlin' Wolf or Johnny Shines which it joins one moment. Johnny Shines will say over this period:

“ We were on the road of the days and the days, without money and sometimes without food, seeking a decent place to spend the night. One played in dusty streets and crasseux bars, and while I was breathless and saw me living like a dog, there was very clean Robert as if it left a church the dimanche ! ”.

About the middle of the Years 1930, Robert Johnson has been professional musician for several years, he enjoys a certain celebrity in the area and wishes to record discs like its references Willie Brown, Her House and Charley Patton. Robert auditions then for H.C. Speir with his store of music. Speir holds an agreement with American Record Company but for various reasons it takes only its name and its address and transmits them to Ernie Oertle d' American Record Company. After a new hearing, Oertle decides to record it with San Antonio.

The first session of recording of Robert is carried out in November 1936 by Don Law. It thus records Terraplane Blues one of its most known songs which quickly becomes a success for the label Vocalion Records. He is recalled to the Texas in June, but although Don Law brings the best material in its possession, nothing equalizes the success of Terraplane .

Although six of the eleven recordings of Johnson are still with the catalog of Vocalion in December 1938, he is pointed out neither spring, nor the next summer.

Its death

He dies in 1938 in mysterious circumstances. Some estimate that it was poisoned by a jealous husband, others which it succumbed to the Syphilis, two as probable versions being one as the other taking into account what one knows life of this bluesman legendary! Robert Johnson was probably the first of long series of cursed artists died at the 27 years age. Four years later, a cyclone devastated the places of its death.

Music

Style

The play of guitar of Johnson, in addition to being skilful and swift, presented a certain originality like the use of the low cords to create a rate/rhythm involving, such as for example on the song Sweet Home Chicago . It used much the open agreements. In addition, its voice was also surprisingly high.

The influences of Johnson are mainly to seek side of Its House but also of Skip James or Lonnie Johnson.

Johnson is frequently quoted like " the greatest blues singer off all time" ( " the best singer of blues of all temps" ) or even like the most important musician of the 20th century , however much of listeners remain disappointed with the first listening of his pieces. This reaction can be due to a relative ignorance of the rough emotion and purified form of the Delta blues or quite simply because of the quality of the poor recording compared with the current standards of production.

Heritage

During its short career, it will have left 29 recorded titles, 3 photographs and 3 tombs! Its life, its music and its death made of it a legend for several generations of bluesmen and rockers. It leaves with the music pieces such as Sweet home Chicago (begun again by the Blues Brothers), Travelling riverside blues (begun again by Led Zeppelin), Love in vain (begun again by Rolling Stones), Walking blues , Malted Milk (begun again by Eric Clapton on the album Unplugged ) like Like one in my Kitchen (begun again by Eric Clapton on the album Me and Mr. Johnson and by Bob Brozman on the album has Truckload off Blues ), Crossroads (taken again by Cream), They' Re red hot (begun again by the Red Hot Chili Peppers), Stop Breakin' Down Blues" (begun again by White Stripes) etc…

Eric Clapton also dedicated a complete album to him Me and Mr. Johnson (in reference to the song of Johnson Me And The Devil ) where it takes again many songs of his Master.

Discography

All the recordings which one could recover of Robert Johnson are on double CD:

Robert Johnson - The Supplements Recordings . Collection Roots' N blues - CBS 1990.

Songs

29 known songs of Robert Johnson:

.32-20 Blues
As one in My Kitchen (two versions)
Cross Road Blues (two versions)
Dead Shrimp Blues
Drunken Hearted Man (two versions)
From Four Till Late
Hellhound one My Trail
Honeymoon Blues
I' m has Steady Rollin' Man
I Believe I' L Dust My Broom
If I Had Possession Over Judgment Day
Kind Hearted Woman Blues (two versions)
Last Fair Deal Gone Down
Little Queen off Spades (two versions)
Coils in Vain (two versions)
Malted Milk
Me and the Devil Blues (two versions)
Milk Cow' S Calf Blues (two versions)
Phonograph Blues (two versions)
Preachin' Blues (Up Jumped The Devil) "

Rambling one My Mind (two versions)

Stones in My Passway

Stop Breakin' Down Blues" (two versions)
Sweet Home Chicago
Terraplane Blues
They' Re Red Hot
Traveling Riverside Blues (two versions)
Walkin' Blues
When You Got has Good Friend (two versions)

It is claimed that he would have written a 30e song, but that the devil kept it for him… Toutefefois, this piece, " mister Downchild" that it N did not have time D to record, was taken again by its assistant Sony Boy Williamson…

Sound extract

Anecdotes

a series Manga, Me and the Devil Blues , tells its life in a rather free way (in the history, it sells truly its heart with the devil).
Robert Johnson was also used as character emblematic by the militants Antipub of the Parisian Métro with autumn 2003 who made an icon of their fight of it. They signed " Yours sincerely, Robert Johnson" .

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