Monday, January 18, 2010

Robert Johnson

I was out at Newbury Comics with #1 Son, and browsed their used CD collection. I love this, since I can pick up some great deals (such as Hank, Jr's "America The Way I See It" for $3.99). Unexpectedly, I found myself paying full price for a CD: Robert Johnson's Me And The Devil Blues.

The title comes from the legend that he made a pact with the Devil to become the greatest bluesman of all time. True or not, it's arguable that he was the greatest bluesman of all time. I love the Blues, and Johnson was perhaps the father of the modern blues. In his short life (ended at 27 by a jealous husband, they say) he established the sound that would be picked up by Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson, and a whole school of musicians. Even though he only recorded three dozen songs - the last in 1937 - it's astonishing just how modern they sound.



Worth full price.

1 comment:

BobG said...

My favorite blues man.