A Meeting at the Crossroads

The life and death of the blues musician, Robert Johnson, was shrouded in mystery and legacy. The “King of Delta Blues” not only left behind remnants of his heart and soul in his music but a legendary tale of his encounter with the Devil at a crossroads in Southern Mississippi. The circulation of this intricate rumor not only brought about the blossoming of the career of one of Blue’s most memorable legends but aided Johnson in laying the foundation for today’s music and culture.

Music was always a long-time love for Johnson. Although Johnson did not appear to bear the gift of a talented guitar musician, the legendary Eddie “Son” House taught him to play when he was a teenager. House taught Johnson not only the basics of blues guitar but many other things that Johnson would use throughout his career. House became a role model for Johnson and he encouraged Johnson to take his music seriously and to achieve his dream of becoming a professional musician.

In order to escape the backbreaking work with little reward that was accompanied the life of a sharecropper in those days; Johnson left the guitar scene he had become accustomed to and traveled across Mississippi playing in small clubs, juke joints, and at small gatherings. He traveled from town to town spreading his blues. When Johnson finally returned to Robinsonville, the musicians that once mentored Johnson and encouraged him to follow his dream were astounded by his development. Nevertheless, with the arrival of Johnson’s sudden musical genius, came the immediate spark of a rumor that Johnson had sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for becoming a master in the art of guitar playing. The devil that many believe Johnson sold his soul to be most likely a Haitian voodoo god named Papa Legba who serves as a “gateway” between an ancient group of divinities called Loa and humans. He is also known as the “God of the Crossroads” because he “opens the roads” (Ellis 1) of the world of the divinities. He is depicted as an old man sprinkling water or an old man with a crutch along with his symbolic animal, the dog. However when Christianity made its way to Africa, the pagan that was once worshiped became labeled as being similar to the Devil. Therefore, Legba, “God of the Crossroads” is mostly like the devil rumored to have endowed Johnson with his musical genius. (“Legend” par.5) Although Johnson never denied the rumor, he utilized his lyrics in such songs as “Hell-Hound on my Trail”, “Me and the Devil Blues”, and “Cross Road Blues” to unofficially validate them. Johnson had capitalized on capitalized on the devil-at-the-crossroads concept and became a household name. (Pearson par. 2)

The story of Johnson’s success, although fascinating, is unrealistic to many people who have come across it. However if Johnson did not obtain his musical genius from the Devil or other supernatural evil, where did he learn to play? Many believe that Johnson was taught to play by a man by the name of Ike Zinnerman after he left Robinsonville to travel and play around Mississippi (qtd. in Rothenbuhler 68). Zinnerman, who was less well-known in the Delta, “was from Alabama and claimed to have learned to play by visiting graveyards at midnight” (qtd. in Rothenbuhler 68). This may explain Johnson’s latter use of elements with origins outside the Delta and also Johnson’s grim lyrics (Rothenbuhler 68). In addition, there is some evidence that suggests that Johnson learned to play from records and may have used records to hone his guitar-playing skills. Johnny Shines, a fellow blues musician and a friend of Johnson’s, reported that Johnson did learn songs from the radio, at least when they were traveling together, after Johnson had become a professional musician (qtd. in Rothenbuhler 68).

Learning from records verses the traditional the method, proves to produce quicker results for both individuals and the pace of change for large musical cultures (Rothenbuhler 69). Johnson’s sudden emergence as a masterful