Got the Blues about Miss So-and-So

For a service such as A Story To Tell to never have spoken about Robert Johnson, the King of the Delta Blues, is something of a travesty. We’re from the Twelve Bar stable for goodness sake. But Johnson is one of those artists who is so astounding as to render this author relatively lost for words, lost for a starting point, lost for the vocabulary to describe this music which, while rooted in the simplicity of the Blues chord structure, seems to take on an other-worldly power. The story of Johnson’s life is told in many places, digressing and diverting as the biographical details become entwined in myth and legend, losing clarity through repetition and soaking in folklore, the true narrative destined forever to be murky like the swampland of the Mississippi Delta.

The so-called dance with the devil down at the crossroads, the mythical pact that gave Johnson his incredible guitar-picking ability, is perhaps the most famous, but many elements of his life remain shrouded in mystery, glimpsed only through three existing photographs, anecdotal tales from fellow bluesmen, few official documents and the 29 recordings that he left behind (30 if you believe the myths, a final lost song still potentially floating out there somewhere). And of course, were the music not so captivating, the mysteries of the story would be far less arresting. But as it is the music is simply jaw-dropping, both for its lyrical prowess, raw energy, technical accomplishment, melodic and rhythmical style, grace and power. It just breathes life and the essence of the blues through its subversions of what remains a relatively simple chord structure.
There is so much that is interesting about Johnson’s work that one mere posting will never do it justice. But one thing commented on frequently is his influence, not on the Blues itself, but on more modern examples of rock’n’roll. The rock’n’roll that includes the Rolling Stones, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, Cream, and on and on it goes. It is said that had Johnson’s memory not been kept alive by a small group of enthusiasts who were more interested in jazz and blues and their folklore traditions.

White enthusiasts, incidentally, who helped preserve his recordings in the incredibly important Library of Congress archives, scholars who feted his work for its technical ability less than its commercial success or cultural or musical impact. For Blues musicians themselves in the 20-plus years following his death in 1938 the work of Robert Johnson and his influence will have been lucky to have been a mere footnote. For it was the release of his recordings in the 1961 album “King of the Delta Blues Singers” that began the honouring by the cream of 1960s rock, and the assessment of his work and importance. 16 mono tracks of incredible blues music, and the first modern commercial example of the musical style which has come to be so well-regarded. And including also Johnson’s virtuoso guitar work.

Forgetting about the impact and brilliance of his vocal work, Johnson’s guitar playing is just breath-taking. Sounding like two, sometimes even three, players at once, we provides bass and rhythm with just one instrument, he run’s tangential riffs and licks while chugging out his pattern, he experiments with maverick harmonics and stylings. Put bluntly he plays like a man who sold his soul to the devil. And that, my dear friends, is close to where we started.