Robert Johnson
There are several artists by the name Robert Johnson:
1. An American blue… Read Full Bio ↴There are several artists by the name Robert Johnson:
1. An American blues singer, guitarist and songwriter (1911-1938) amongst the most famous of Delta blues musicians; ranked fifth in Rolling Stone's list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time; considered by some to be the "Grandfather of Rock 'n' Roll"
2. An English lutenist and composer of the late Tudorian and early Jacobean eras (c.1580-c.1634)
3. A 1970s Memphis-based American guitarist
4. A former drummer for KC and the Sunshine Band
1. Robert Johnson (Robert Leroy Johnson, Hazlehurst, Mississippi, May 8, 1911- Greenwood, Mississippi, August 16, 1938) was an American blues singer, guitarist and songwriter, among the most famous of Delta blues musicians.
His landmark recordings from 1936–1937 display a remarkable combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that have influenced generations of musicians. Johnson's shadowy, poorly documented life and death at age 27 have given rise to much legend.
The first songs to appear were Terraplane Blues and Last Fair Deal Gone Down, Terraplane Blues became a moderate regional hit, selling 5,000 copies.
Other songs Johnson recorded were Come On In My Kitchen, Kind Hearted Woman Blues, I Believe I'll Dust My Broom, and Cross Road Blues.
Come on in My Kitchen included the lines:
"The woman I love took from my best friend / Some joker got lucky, stole her back again / You better come on in my kitchen, it's going to be rainin' outdoors."
In Crossroad Blues, another of his songs, he sang:
"I went to the crossroads, fell down on my knees / I went to the crossroads, fell down on my knees / I asked the Lord above, have mercy, save poor Bob if you please / Uumb, standing at the crossroads I tried to flag a ride / Standing at the crossroads I tried to flag a ride / Ain't nobody seem to know me, everybody pass me by."
Stones In My Passway and Me And The Devil are both about betrayal, a recurrent theme in country blues. Hell Hound On My Trail utilises another common theme: fear of the Devil. Other themes in Johnson's music include impotence (Dead Shrimp Blues and Phonograph Blues) and infidelity (Terraplane Blues, If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day and Love in Vain).
The most widely-known legend surrounding Robert Johnson says that he sold his soul to the Devil at the crossroads of U.S. Highway 61 and U.S. Highway 49 in Clarksdale, Mississippi in exchange for prowess in playing the guitar. Actually, the location Johnson made reference to is a short distance away from that intersection. The Faustian legend was told mainly by Son House, but finds no corroboration in any of Johnson's work, despite titles like Me and the Devil Blues and Hellhound on My Trail. With this said, the song Cross Road Blues is both widely and loosely interpreted by many as a descriptive encounter of Johnson selling his soul.
The older Tommy Johnson (no relation, although it is speculated that they were cousins), by contrast, also claimed to have sold his soul to the Devil. The story goes that if one would go to the crossroads a little before midnight and begin to play the guitar, a large black man would come up to the aspiring guitarist, retune his guitar and then hand it back. At this point (so the legend goes) the guitarist had sold his soul to become a virtuoso (A similar legend even surrounded virtuoso violinist Niccolò Paganini a century before.
His death remains a matter of controversy. Some accounts state that he was given poisoned whiskey at a dance by the husband of a woman he had been secretly seeing. Others claim that it was just The Devil collecting his debt after the old legend of Robert Johnson dealing with the devil.
However, the latest, and unfortunately less dramatic and more plausible theory (published by David Connell in the British Medical Journal) is that Robert Johnson suffered from Marfan's Syndrome. Marfan's is a genetic disorder characterized by disproportionately long limbs, long thin fingers, a tall stature — all of which can be seen in the two photos that exist of Robert Johnson. Marfan's Syndrome is a cause of heart defects, and a complication such as an aortic dissection could lead to Robert Johnson's excruciatingly painful death.
Eleven 78s were released on the Vocalion label during his lifetime, with a twelfth issued posthumously. All songs are copyrighted to Robert Johnson, and his estate.
The Complete Recordings: A double-disc box set was released on August 28, 1990, containing almost everything Robert Johnson ever recorded, with all 29 recordings, and 12 alternate takes. (There is one further alternate, of
Traveling Riverside Blues which was released on Sony's King of the Delta Blues Singers CD and also as an extra in early printings of the paperback edition of Elijah Wald's "Escaping the Delta."
Grammy Awards:
1990 — Best Historical Album The Complete Recordings (Sony/Columbia) Legacy Winner
Grammy Hall of Fame:
1998 — Cross Road Blues (Single) (1936, Vocalion)
National Recording Registry:
The Complete Recordings of Robert Johnson (1936-1937) was included by the National Recording Preservation Board in the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry in 2003.
The board selects songs in an annual basis that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame included four songs by Robert Johnson in the 500 songs that shaped rock and roll:
Sweet Home Chicago (1936),
Cross Road Blues (1936),
Hellhound on My Trail (1937),
Love in Vain (1937)
The Blues Foundation Awards:
Robert Johnson: Blues Music Awards
1991 Vintage or Reissue Album The Complete Recordings Winner
Honors and inductions
On September 17, 1994 the U.S. Post Office issues a Robert Johnson 29-cent commemorative postage stamp.
2006 — Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award Winner accepted by son Claud Johnson
2000 — Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame Inducted
1986 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inducted Early Influences
1980 — Blues Hall of Fame Inducted
He was also ranked fifth in Rolling Stone's list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.
Considered by some to be the "Grandfather of Rock 'n' Roll", his vocal phrasing, original songs, and guitar style have influenced a broad range of musicians, including Muddy Waters, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Johnny Winter, Jeff Beck, and Eric Clapton.
2. Robert Johnson (c.1580-c.1634) was an English lutenist and composer of the late Tudorian and early Jacobean eras. He was the son of John Johnson.
3. Memphis-based Robert Johnson has been recording since the early '70s. Some early appearances were on recordings by the Hot Dogs, a band that featured Jack Holder and Greg Reding, later to cross the Mississippi River and become members of the raunchy hard-rocking Black Oak Arkansas.
By the late '70s, Johnson had recorded a single with the Bell Heirs and had established a somewhat regular playing relationship with a rhythm section featuring bassist Dave Cochran and drummer Blair Cunningham. The Infinity label released the premier Johnson effort as a leader, an album entitled Close Personal Friend, yet a collection entitled The Memphis Demos, which came out the following year, is considered to be a much better representation of his work, not the first time a musician's more casual performances beat out a supposedly more serious album project.
4) Robert Johnson was a former drummer for KC and the Sunshine Band
1. An American blue… Read Full Bio ↴There are several artists by the name Robert Johnson:
1. An American blues singer, guitarist and songwriter (1911-1938) amongst the most famous of Delta blues musicians; ranked fifth in Rolling Stone's list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time; considered by some to be the "Grandfather of Rock 'n' Roll"
2. An English lutenist and composer of the late Tudorian and early Jacobean eras (c.1580-c.1634)
3. A 1970s Memphis-based American guitarist
4. A former drummer for KC and the Sunshine Band
1. Robert Johnson (Robert Leroy Johnson, Hazlehurst, Mississippi, May 8, 1911- Greenwood, Mississippi, August 16, 1938) was an American blues singer, guitarist and songwriter, among the most famous of Delta blues musicians.
His landmark recordings from 1936–1937 display a remarkable combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that have influenced generations of musicians. Johnson's shadowy, poorly documented life and death at age 27 have given rise to much legend.
The first songs to appear were Terraplane Blues and Last Fair Deal Gone Down, Terraplane Blues became a moderate regional hit, selling 5,000 copies.
Other songs Johnson recorded were Come On In My Kitchen, Kind Hearted Woman Blues, I Believe I'll Dust My Broom, and Cross Road Blues.
Come on in My Kitchen included the lines:
"The woman I love took from my best friend / Some joker got lucky, stole her back again / You better come on in my kitchen, it's going to be rainin' outdoors."
In Crossroad Blues, another of his songs, he sang:
"I went to the crossroads, fell down on my knees / I went to the crossroads, fell down on my knees / I asked the Lord above, have mercy, save poor Bob if you please / Uumb, standing at the crossroads I tried to flag a ride / Standing at the crossroads I tried to flag a ride / Ain't nobody seem to know me, everybody pass me by."
Stones In My Passway and Me And The Devil are both about betrayal, a recurrent theme in country blues. Hell Hound On My Trail utilises another common theme: fear of the Devil. Other themes in Johnson's music include impotence (Dead Shrimp Blues and Phonograph Blues) and infidelity (Terraplane Blues, If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day and Love in Vain).
The most widely-known legend surrounding Robert Johnson says that he sold his soul to the Devil at the crossroads of U.S. Highway 61 and U.S. Highway 49 in Clarksdale, Mississippi in exchange for prowess in playing the guitar. Actually, the location Johnson made reference to is a short distance away from that intersection. The Faustian legend was told mainly by Son House, but finds no corroboration in any of Johnson's work, despite titles like Me and the Devil Blues and Hellhound on My Trail. With this said, the song Cross Road Blues is both widely and loosely interpreted by many as a descriptive encounter of Johnson selling his soul.
The older Tommy Johnson (no relation, although it is speculated that they were cousins), by contrast, also claimed to have sold his soul to the Devil. The story goes that if one would go to the crossroads a little before midnight and begin to play the guitar, a large black man would come up to the aspiring guitarist, retune his guitar and then hand it back. At this point (so the legend goes) the guitarist had sold his soul to become a virtuoso (A similar legend even surrounded virtuoso violinist Niccolò Paganini a century before.
His death remains a matter of controversy. Some accounts state that he was given poisoned whiskey at a dance by the husband of a woman he had been secretly seeing. Others claim that it was just The Devil collecting his debt after the old legend of Robert Johnson dealing with the devil.
However, the latest, and unfortunately less dramatic and more plausible theory (published by David Connell in the British Medical Journal) is that Robert Johnson suffered from Marfan's Syndrome. Marfan's is a genetic disorder characterized by disproportionately long limbs, long thin fingers, a tall stature — all of which can be seen in the two photos that exist of Robert Johnson. Marfan's Syndrome is a cause of heart defects, and a complication such as an aortic dissection could lead to Robert Johnson's excruciatingly painful death.
Eleven 78s were released on the Vocalion label during his lifetime, with a twelfth issued posthumously. All songs are copyrighted to Robert Johnson, and his estate.
The Complete Recordings: A double-disc box set was released on August 28, 1990, containing almost everything Robert Johnson ever recorded, with all 29 recordings, and 12 alternate takes. (There is one further alternate, of
Traveling Riverside Blues which was released on Sony's King of the Delta Blues Singers CD and also as an extra in early printings of the paperback edition of Elijah Wald's "Escaping the Delta."
Grammy Awards:
1990 — Best Historical Album The Complete Recordings (Sony/Columbia) Legacy Winner
Grammy Hall of Fame:
1998 — Cross Road Blues (Single) (1936, Vocalion)
National Recording Registry:
The Complete Recordings of Robert Johnson (1936-1937) was included by the National Recording Preservation Board in the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry in 2003.
The board selects songs in an annual basis that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame included four songs by Robert Johnson in the 500 songs that shaped rock and roll:
Sweet Home Chicago (1936),
Cross Road Blues (1936),
Hellhound on My Trail (1937),
Love in Vain (1937)
The Blues Foundation Awards:
Robert Johnson: Blues Music Awards
1991 Vintage or Reissue Album The Complete Recordings Winner
Honors and inductions
On September 17, 1994 the U.S. Post Office issues a Robert Johnson 29-cent commemorative postage stamp.
2006 — Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award Winner accepted by son Claud Johnson
2000 — Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame Inducted
1986 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inducted Early Influences
1980 — Blues Hall of Fame Inducted
He was also ranked fifth in Rolling Stone's list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.
Considered by some to be the "Grandfather of Rock 'n' Roll", his vocal phrasing, original songs, and guitar style have influenced a broad range of musicians, including Muddy Waters, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Johnny Winter, Jeff Beck, and Eric Clapton.
2. Robert Johnson (c.1580-c.1634) was an English lutenist and composer of the late Tudorian and early Jacobean eras. He was the son of John Johnson.
3. Memphis-based Robert Johnson has been recording since the early '70s. Some early appearances were on recordings by the Hot Dogs, a band that featured Jack Holder and Greg Reding, later to cross the Mississippi River and become members of the raunchy hard-rocking Black Oak Arkansas.
By the late '70s, Johnson had recorded a single with the Bell Heirs and had established a somewhat regular playing relationship with a rhythm section featuring bassist Dave Cochran and drummer Blair Cunningham. The Infinity label released the premier Johnson effort as a leader, an album entitled Close Personal Friend, yet a collection entitled The Memphis Demos, which came out the following year, is considered to be a much better representation of his work, not the first time a musician's more casual performances beat out a supposedly more serious album project.
4) Robert Johnson was a former drummer for KC and the Sunshine Band
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Robert Johnson Lyrics
(I Believe I'll) Dust My Broom I'm gointa get up in the mornin I believe I'll dust…
04.Sweet Home Chicago Oh, baby don't you want to go? Oh, baby don't you…
07 Dead Shrimp Blues I woke up this mornin' and all my shrimps was…
08 If I Had Possession Over J If I had possession, over judgment day If I had possession,…
2-13 Me And The Devil Blues (Alterna Early this morning When you knocked upon my door Early thi…
32 If I send for my baby, and she don't come If…
4 Till Late From four till late, I was wringin' my hands and…
Believe Ill Dust My Broom I'm goin' get up in the mornin', I believe I'll…
Care-charming sleep Care-charming Sleep, thou easer of all woes, Brother to Deat…
Come On in My Kitchen Mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm Mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm-…
Come On In My Kitchen (Remastered) Mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm Mmm…
Come On In My Kitchen. Mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm Mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm-…
Come On My Kitchen Mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm Mmm…
Cross Road Blues I went to the crossroad, fell down on my knees I…
Crossroad Went to the crossroad, fell down on my knees I went…
Crossroad Blues I went to the crossroad, fell down on my knees I…
Crossroads I went to the crossroads, fell down on my knees I…
Crossroads Blues I went to the crossroads, fell down on my knees I…
Dead Shrimp Blues I woke up this mornin' and all my shrimps was…
Drunk Hearted Man I'm a drunken-hearted man, my life seems so misery I'm a…
Dust My Broom I'm goin' get up in the mornin', I believe I'll…
From Four 'Til Late From four till late, I was wringin' my hands and…
From Four 'til Late (Remastered) From four until late I was wringing my hands and crying From…
From Four Till Late From four till late, I was wringin' my hands and…
From Four Until Late From four until late, I was wringing my hands and…
Hell Hound On My Trail I got to keep movin', I've got to keep movin' Blues…
Hellhound My Trail I got to keep movin', I got to keep movin' Blues…
Honey Moon Blues Betty Mae, Betty Mae, you shall be my wife someday Betty…
I I'm goin' get up in the mornin', I believe I'll…
I am a Steady Rolling Man I'm a steady rollin man I roll both night and day I'm…
I Beleive I`ll Dust My Broom I'm goin' get up in the mornin', I believe I'll…
I'm A Ready Rollin' Man I'm a steady rollin' man, I roll both night and…
If I Had Possesion Over Judgment Day If I had possession, over judgment day If I had possession,…
If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day If I had possession, over judgment day If I had possession,…
Im a Steady Rollin Man I'm a steady rollin' man, I roll both night and…
kind hearted woman blues I got a kindhearted woman Do anything in this world for…
Kind Hearted Woman Blues (Alternate Take) Kind hearted woman blues Robert Johnson I got a kind hearted…
Kindheart Woman Blues I got a kindhearted woman, do anything in this world…
Kindhearted Woman Blues (Take 2) I got a kindhearted mama Do anything in this world for…
Kindhearted Womans Blues I got a kindhearted woman, do anything in this world…
Last Fair Deal Done Gone It's the last fair deal goin' down Last fair deal goin'…
Litlle Queen of Spades Now, she is a little queen of spades, and the…
Love in Vain I followed her to the station, with a suitcase in…
Love in Vain (take 2) And I followed her to the station, with my1 suitcase…
Love In Vain Blues I followed her to the station with a suitcase in…
Malted Milk I keep drinkin' malted milk, tryin' to drive my blues…
Me And The Davil Blues Early this morning When you knocked upon my door Early this …
Milckow's Calf Blues Tell me, milkcow, what on earth is wrong with you? Hoo,…
Milkcow's Calf Blues (Take 2) Tell me, milk cow, what on earth is wrong with…
Milkcow's Calf Blues 2 Tell me, milkcow, what on earth is wrong with you? Hoo,…
Pablo's Blues You better come on in my kitchen Babe, it's goin' to…
Phongraph Blues Beatrice, she got a phonograph And it won't say a lonesome…
Preachin Mmmmmm I woke up this mornin' Ah, blues walkin' like…
Preachin' Blues (Up Jumped the Devil) Mmmmm mmmmm I's up this mornin', ah, blues walkin' like a…
Preachin' the Blues Mmmmmm I woke up this mornin' Ah, blues walkin' like…
Preaching Blues Mmmmm-mmmmm I's up this mornin' Ah, blues walkin' like a man…
Preaching Blues (Up Jumped the Devil) Mmmmm mmmmm I's up this mornin', ah, blues walkin' like a…
Preaching Blues Up Jumped The Devil Mmmmm-mmmmm I's up this mornin' Ah, blues walkin' like a man…
Preachin` Blues Mmmmmm I woke up this mornin' Ah, blues walkin' like…
Ramblin on My Mind I got ramblin', I got ramblin' on my mind I got…
Ramblin' on My Mind I got ramblin', I got ramblin' on my mind I got…
Rambling On My Mind I got ramblin' I got ramblin' on my mind I got ramblin' I…
Rambling On My Mind (Take 2) I got ramblin', I got ramblin' on my mind I got…
Rumbling On My Mind I got ramblin' I got ramblin' on my mind I got ramblin' I…
Steady Rollin' Man I'm a steady rollin' man, I roll both night and…
Stones in My Passway I got stones in my passway And my road seem dark…
Stop Breakin Every time I'm walkin' down the streets Some pretty mama…
Stop Breakin' Down Blues Every time I'm walkin' down the streets Some pretty mama sta…
Sweet Home Chicago Oh, baby don't you want to go? Oh, baby don't you…
Terraplane Blues And I feel so lonesome, you hear me when I…
The Crossroads I went to the crossroads, fell down on my knees I…
They Hot tamales and they're red hot, yes she got'em for…
Traveling Riverside Blues If your man get personal, want to have your fun If…
Up Country Blues Mmmmm-mmmmm I's up this mornin' Ah, blues walkin' like a man…
Walkin Blues I woke up this mornin', feelin' round for my shoes Know…
When You Got a Good Friend When you got a good friend, that will stay right…
Where Do We Go From Here When you're in love Some things you take for granted Until…