As a young man, he was more interested in music than farming: He'd hound the older blues musicians for a chance to play. He said he was born in Mississippi on May 8, 1911, and grew up on a plantation in the Delta. Here is what we do know about Robert Johnson. In the absence of any real biographical information, Pearson says early blues writers got a little carried away.Īll Songs Considered Blog You've Never Heard Robert Johnson's 'Complete Recordings'?! Pearson, a professor at the University of Maryland and the co-author of the book Robert Johnson: Lost and Found, says none of it is true. 'The popular mythology has him as a total loner,' Pearson says, 'and kind of lived this life in regret as a repayment for his alleged sin of making a contract with Old Scratch.' That legend reached a mainstream audience with the 1986 movie Crossroads, starring Joe Seneca and Ralph Macchio.īut according to folklorist Barry Lee Pearson, it didn't happen. If you know anything about Johnson, chances are it's the story that he sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads in exchange for his musical talent. But the mythology surrounding his life just won't go away. Johnson is one of the most studied of all country blues musicians, and he's been the subject of many books, films and essays.

Although he recorded just 29 songs, the bluesman had a huge influence on guitarists such as Eric Clapton and Keith Richards.

Sunday marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Robert Johnson. Photography Company in Memphis, Tenn., circa 1935. This portrait was taken by the Hooks Bros.

One of the two known photos of Robert Johnson.

Blind Corners by Jemir Robert Johnson