Johnson Blues King
 |
Questions Related to johnson blues
|
Does anyone have any good websites and information on the Blues legend Robert Johnson? Question: I have been a fan of his music for a while now and since his life is so mysterious I was wondering if anyone knew a really good site... also it is rumored Vanity Fair has a third picture of him with Jimmy Shines, is that true? Answer: Impossible for me to say how "true" the Vanity Fair thing is since I don't have credentials to authenticate the photo but it WAS published by them in their November 2008 issue and the article also says other Johnson photos which are so far unpublished MAY exist. Here's a batch of links for him below. |
|
How was it proved that blues legend Robert Johnson had a son? Question: Dna? Documents......any answer will be greatly appreciated Answer: While he certainly could have had any number of illegitimate children, I don't think anyone has ever proven paternity. Are you by chance talking about Robert Jr. Lockwood? If so, he took the name as a homage, not to claim that he was his son. |
|
who can I compare blues guitarist Robert Johnson to? Question: I need someone to compare Robert Johnson to. dead or alive. atleast seven facts in total. thanks in advance ;) Answer: I'd compare him to one of his main influences-Tommy Johnson (no relation). The legend about selling his soul to the devil actually stems from Tommy. The band Canned Heat took it's name from one of Tommy's songs. Canned Heat was a nickname for Sterno liquid fuel, strained through a couple slice of bread and drunk. It got you high, but also poisoned you. Tommy was a notorious alcoholic who would drink almost anything to get high. P.S. no insult intended to the poster, but Son House and Blind Lemon predate Robert by more than a decade.Blind Lemon had been dead for seven years before Robert's first recordings. |
|
What kind of Guitar did Blues Ledgend Robert Johnson play ? Answer: it was a Gibson L-1 or L-2 |
|
Is it true that Robert Johnson had to make a pact with the Devil to make him one of the best blues players? Question: I heard a lot of rumors about Robert Johnson and Crossroads thing a lot. Where can I find the true, or the full story of this. And he also claimed that he had to sell his soul. Tell me more about this. And that thing can be done by anybody? Answer: The legend refers to Tommy Johnson who reportedly told friends that he acquired his musical ability by selling his soul to the Devil. His best known songs are "Big Road Blues," "Canned Heat Blues," and "Cool Drink of Water." Tommy Johnson was an early influence on Robert Johnson. Many individuals confuse Tommy and Robert Johnson when it comes to the pact with the Devil at the crossroads. |
|
Anyone a fan of the late, great Blues legend Robert Johnson? How did he die? Question: I love Blues music and his music. There's so much mystery surrounding his death and/or disappearance. Rumors back then said he sold his soul to the devil and the devil came to collect. Is this true? I hope not!! Answer: Robert Johnson! In the last year of his life, Johnson is believed to have traveled to St. Louis and possibly Illinois. He spent some time in Memphis and traveled through the Mississippi Delta and Arkansas. By the time he died, at least six of his records had been released. His death occurred on August 16, 1938, at the approximate age of 27 at a little country crossroads near Greenwood, Mississippi. He had been playing for a few weeks at a country dance in a town about 25 kilometres (15 miles) from Greenwood. There are a number of accounts and theories regarding the events preceding Johnson's death. One of these is that one evening Johnson began flirting with a woman at a dance. One version of this rumor says she was the wife of the juke joint owner, while another suggests she was a married woman he had been secretly seeing. Researcher Mack McCormick claims to have interviewed Johnson's alleged poisoner in the 1970's, and obtained a tacit admission of guilt from the man. When he was offered an open bottle of whiskey, his friend and fellow blues legend Sonny Boy Williamson knocked the bottle out of his hand, informing him that he should never drink from an offered bottle that has already been opened. Robert Johnson allegedly said, "don't ever knock a bottle out of my hand". Soon after, he was offered another open bottle and accepted it. That bottle was laced with strychnine. Johnson is said to have survived the initial poisoning only to succumb to pneumonia three days later, in his weakened state. His life was short but his music would serve as the root source for an entire generation of blues and rock and roll musicians. David Connell, in an article in the British Medical Journal in 2006 entitled Retrospective blues: Robert Johnson — an open letter to Eric Clapton, has suggested that the cause of Johnson's death may have been Marfan's syndrome, which is connective tissue disorder. The most obvious symptoms of this are arguably visible in the photographs of Johnson, such as his long fingers, legs and arms. Other symptoms are curved spine, eye problems (Johnson was said to have 'one bad eye') and a slim body. The precise location of his grave remains a source of ongoing controversy, and three different markers have been erected at supposed burial sites outside of Greenwood. Research in the 1980's and 1990's strongly suggests Johnson was buried in the graveyard of the Little Zion church near Morgan City, Mississippi, not far from Greenwood, in an unmarked grave. A marker was placed at this location in 2002. Among the Mississippi Delta bluesmen believed to have exerted the strongest influences on Johnson's music are Charley Patton, Willie Brown, Tommy Johnson, and Son House. Peter Guralnick, in Searching for Robert Johnson, quotes Son House, "We'd all play for the Saturday night balls, and there'd be this little boy standing around. That was Robert Johnson. He was just a little boy then. He blew harmonica and he was pretty good with that, but he wanted to play guitar." Robert Johnson has a son named Claude and grandchildren currently living in Crystal Springs, Mississippi. |
|
Is Robert Johnson the greatest blues player ever? Answer: Damn right he is! |
|
Did Blues Guitarit Robert Johnson use a slide mainly while playing his music? Answer: Often, yes. But not on all of his songs. Sweet Home Chicago There Red Hot From Four Til Late These are three examples of RJ tunes without slide. |
|
Robert Johnson (blues legend) interviews? Question: Does anyone know where I can locate any interviews with Robert Johnson, his friends, or his family? If you know where to find any primary sources having to do with Robert Johnson could you please send them to me? Or perhaps his obituary? Thanks so much! Answer: Robert "Jr" Lockwood is the only person ever directly taught by Robert Johnson (his mother was married to Johnson). You can find first person accounts from him fairly readily. Johnny Shines, Son House, Willie Brown, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, and Ralph Peer have also all provided personal reminiscences of Johnson. Robert never gave any interviews himself. He died fairly young, and was not well known prior to his death. As far as primary source materials, the two volumes of "King of the Delta Blues Singers" encompass all of his recorded output., and there are only a couple of extant photos. That is the sum total of material available. |
|
Did Blues legend Robert Johnson ever use a resonator guitar ? Answer: the recordings he made were done with a classic acoustic guitar. Outside of that it might be possible but for as far as I can remember there's no record of him using one. you must take into account that these kind of guitars were pretty new in those days, so it's unlikely that they were common use amongst artists in those days |