Robert Johnson’s Story

Robert Johnson is known as one of the greatest Delta Blues musicians, although many people did not recognize this until after his death. Johnson was born in May 1911 in Mississippi. Delta Blues was one of the most popular musical style in this area at the time. There is not much known about his life, so some have created theories on his life and rise to success. One widespread opinion is that he sold his soul to the devil in order to become such a blues success. However, most of his success was achieved posthumously. During his lifetime, he performed mostly on street corners and small clubs or dances. He was believed to have written twenty-nine songs between 1936 and 1937, which include blues classics like “Sweet Home Chicago” and “I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom.” In addition to his mysterious life, he untimely died at the age of 27 from an alleged murder by poison. The songs he wrote in the last three years of his life have become a standard for blues and jazz music today.

Robert Johnson’s most listened to song on Spotify is “Cross Road Blues,” so it naturally peaked my interest. I was expecting the typical jazzy/blues sound with all the typical instruments. However, what I heard was just incredible steel guitar playing accompanied by the raspy voice of Robert Johnson. The crossroad is a metaphor for making a decision or choosing a path to take in life. He mentions falling down on his knees, symbolizing that he has a difficult choice to make. The line “Didn’t nobody seem to know me, babe, everybody pass me by,” makes it seem as though he has to make it alone. The melody seems to follow a wave-like contour. The quick plucks of the guitar strings blended with the deeper bass chords exemplify the mix between country and blues that Delta Blues is.

The second song I would like to discuss is one of his most classic songs, “Sweet Home Chicago.” His voice in this piece ranges from the high pitched “Oh, honey don’t you wanna go?” to the lower pitched “To my sweet home Chicago.” The quick strums of the guitar during the verses make the song easy to dance along to. The way he sings the verses is more like talking, while the chorus shows his singing voice and range. You can hear the bluesy whine in his voice that is often associated with the genre.