American Talent
The Greatest That Made It Great
American ingenuity architects
A chronicle of brilliance
The Delta Blues were made famous by Robert Johnson
The timeless nature of Robert Johnson's music and the enormous impact he had on subsequent generations of artists are his lasting legacies. His legendary status as a blues master and a mysterious life and death have made him an icon of American music. His impact goes well beyond the Mississippi Delta, and he is now an important thread in the fabric of American culture.
Robert Johnson, the "King of the Delta Blues," was an American singer-songwriter whose songs inspired the development of blues and rock despite his mysterious life and untimely death at age 27. The legends surrounding his life and death, combined with his remarkable guitar playing, have created him a legendary figure in American music.
Johnson was born in 1911 in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, a little rural hamlet in the middle of the Mississippi Delta. Although he had limited schooling, from an early age he had a strong interest in music. He revolutionized the blues with his own sound, which combined intricate fingerpicking with passionate singing.
Myths and Legends: In blues lore, Robert Johnson is said to have sold his soul to the devil at a crossroads in exchange for his exceptional guitar talents. Even if the tale is just another piece of Johnson lore, it serves to highlight the profound impact of Johnson's music, which impressed many as being beyond human.
Johnson's work has had a profound impact on American music, even though he only recorded 29 songs. Many musicians were moved by Johnson's ability to infuse raw emotion into his songs and his mastery of the guitar; Eric Clapton termed Johnson "the most important blues singer that ever lived."
Johnson's fame during his live was not as widespread as it would be after his death. His 1986 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame was the first of its kind. In 1990, he earned a Grammy for his greatest hits CD "Robert Johnson: The Complete Recordings," and by 2003, he had climbed to number five on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.
Johnson was born in 1911 in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, a little rural hamlet in the middle of the Mississippi Delta. Although he had limited schooling, from an early age he had a strong interest in music. He revolutionized the blues with his own sound, which combined intricate fingerpicking with passionate singing.
Myths and Legends: In blues lore, Robert Johnson is said to have sold his soul to the devil at a crossroads in exchange for his exceptional guitar talents. Even if the tale is just another piece of Johnson lore, it serves to highlight the profound impact of Johnson's music, which impressed many as being beyond human.
Johnson's work has had a profound impact on American music, even though he only recorded 29 songs. Many musicians were moved by Johnson's ability to infuse raw emotion into his songs and his mastery of the guitar; Eric Clapton termed Johnson "the most important blues singer that ever lived."
Johnson's fame during his live was not as widespread as it would be after his death. His 1986 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame was the first of its kind. In 1990, he earned a Grammy for his greatest hits CD "Robert Johnson: The Complete Recordings," and by 2003, he had climbed to number five on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.
