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The 27 Club #7
27: Robert Johnson
Robert Johnson was, according to Eric Clapton, "the most important blues singer that ever lived." An itinerant street musician, with a weakness for whisky and women, his is a life of pure legend - the man who sold his soul for the devil, and thereby invented modern music.Precious little is known about his 27 years, or the circumstances of his death, and even the site of his grave is contested. In this mini-biography, acclaimed music critic Chris Salewicz investigates the truth behind the myth, evoking an incisive profile of an enigmatic figure who, with just 29 songs, changed popular music for Robert Johnson is the final part of a series of short music ebooks. Other titles in the series include 27: Brian Jones, 27: Jimi Hendrix, 27: Janis Joplin, 27: Jim Morrison, 27: Kurt Cobain and 27: Amy Winehouse.
- GenresMusic
480 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 24, 2013
16 people want to read
About the author
Chris Salewicz
47 books35 followersChris Salewicz's writing on music and popular culture has appeared in publications around the globe. He is the author of more than a dozen books, including Redemption Song: The Ballad of Joe Strummer."
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
April 28, 2014
This is one of a short series of e-books about musicians who died at the age of 27. I have already read a couple and found them very interesting, but this one, about blues musician Robert Johnson is probably the artist about whom I knew the least. He was the man said to have sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads, so startling was said to be the sudden improvement in his guitar playing. The author addresses this notorious story and explains how and why it came about – although, apparently, Johnson himself did little to dissuade people about his mythic musical status.
Born in 1911 to the parents of freed slaves, his life was one of much tragedy and, often, extreme poverty. He was restless, a womaniser, a drifter who travelled with his guitar to make a living. In fact, he was everything a blues player should be. He had his first recording session in 1936 and met an untimely end in 1938, poisoned by the husband of a woman he was having an affair with. This is a good introduction to a man whose musical influence can still be felt today. I recommend this series to music lovers highly.
Born in 1911 to the parents of freed slaves, his life was one of much tragedy and, often, extreme poverty. He was restless, a womaniser, a drifter who travelled with his guitar to make a living. In fact, he was everything a blues player should be. He had his first recording session in 1936 and met an untimely end in 1938, poisoned by the husband of a woman he was having an affair with. This is a good introduction to a man whose musical influence can still be felt today. I recommend this series to music lovers highly.
Displaying 1 of 1 review