Crossroads: The Life and Afterlife of Blues Legend Robert Johnson

by Tom Graves, Steve LaVere (Foreword)

The result of careful research, this stylish biography of infamous blues musician Robert Johnson reveals the real story behind the mythical talent that made him a musical legend. According to some, Robert Johnson learned guitar by trading his soul away to the Devil at a crossroads in rural Mississippi. When he died at age 27 of a mysterious poisoning, many superstitious fans came to believe that the Devil had returned to take his due. This diligent study of Johnson’s life debunks these myths, while emphasizing the effect that Johnson, said to be the greatest blues musician who ever lived, has had on modern musicians and fans of the blues.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography, History, Biography Memoir

133 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2008

Reviews

[Jessica (booneybear) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A super quick read on the enigma that is Robert Johnson. The book is short because not much is known about the blues legend. The list of musicians that he ispired is probably longer than the list of known facts about the guy himself. Apparently there are only two or three photographs known to exist of him.

There is a quote in the book written by Rudi Blesh that probably says more about Robert Johnson than a lot of the printed material out there about him:

"The images - the wanderer's voice and its echoes, the mocking wind rushing through the guitar strings, and the implacable, slow, pursuing footsteps - are full of evil,surcharged with the terror of ne alone among the moving, unseen shapes of the night. Wildly and terribly, the notes paint a dark wasteland, starless, ululant with bitter wind, swept by the chill rain. Over a hilltop trudges a lonely, ragged, bedeviled figure, bent to the wind, with his [guitar] held by one arm as it swings from its cord around his neck."

Great passage, right? I read that passage over and over again, just the way I listened to Robert Johnson's songs over and over again to hearing each song a bit differently each time than the time before.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

We all love a story with mystery and the devil. Robert Johnson’s life would appear to offer both. Tom Graves helps us filter through the small amount of known facts and a lot of the legends. It’s brief but then so was Johnson’s life. He was the charter member of the 27 club—famous musicians such as Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, Brian Jones, Amy Winehouse and Jimi Hendrix who never made it to the age of 28. That alone is myth worthy.

Graves introduces us to Johnson, who was born in 1911 in the Mississippi delta. Cotton work was horrible and the lives of black and white workers was misery. Not surprisingly if something else was available, escaping that life would be a huge plus. One of the very few ways to get out was musical talent.

We learn the pitifully few documented facts about Johnson—applications for marriage licenses, recording sessions in ‘36 and ‘37 which left us with 42 surviving songs. He died in 1938. A revival of interest began in the 1960s. And so to the myths. Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads (really?), he was really a country bumpkin (no), he died poisoned by strychnine (doesn’t fit but bad moonshine might), three or four different people say they held his head as he was dying after one painful night—or three weeks.

If you prefer to cherish the myths you may not fully appreciate this book but it is very good at giving you a feeling for the place and time.

[Ryan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was definitely well-written, well-researched, but a bit more polarized in Robert Johnson's favor than I might have liked. What I mean by this though, is that even though the author clearly idolized this legendary blues musician—and perhaps, rightly so—as far as my personal tastes go, I prefer something a bit more evenhanded in what I read.

Something also worth noting: I'm only reading this because I'm comprehensively going through every book referenced in "Psycho-Pass", one of my favorite series of all time, and this book just so happens to be mentioned. Because of this, I'm also rating and reviewing this book based on how much of it ties into how it influenced the series, and I'd say I got about 45% satisfaction from it based solely on that. As far as knowing every single granular detail (and I mean that as a good thing) about Tom Graves' subject matter, you will in no way be disappointed. But for me, I only needed about a third of the book to get more information about him than I'll ever need, despite the book also being interesting in it's own right.

[Angela Maher · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you enjoy the romanticised mythology surrounding Robert Johnson, maybe this isn't for you. The book strips everything that's been said or implied about the man down to what is definitely known. The result of this is that Robert Johnson is even more of a mystery without the tall tales. It's an interesting read, with enough detail about the times in which he lived, and the people around him, to build the thread of his story into a satisfying fullness. Following the story of his influence and music in the decades after his death brings him into the present day, and ties his legacy firmly back to the origins of his music.

[Dustin · Rating 5 out of 5]

An essential read for those with an interest in the history of blues and rock. Robert Johnson was an incredible talent surrounded by a very interesting story or legend. From his beginning in a poor sharecropping family, to his end from a supposed poisoning, to the mystery of his three alleged graves (the real one has now been verified), Johnson's life is the perfect lens through which to view the history and culture of southern blacks and the origin of most of American popular music. Johnson is one of the most significant and interesting figures in the history of American popular culture, music, folklore, and race relations. His story provides powerful insight into the era of music that is the parent of most modern music, and the injustice that most responsible for this music lived and died penniless because of the color of their skin.

[Erika Mazzei · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a super easy listen, mainly due to the lack of information surrounding the enigma that is Robert Johnson. Loved that this book, although short, included so much of what is known and touched on his lore (because in all honesty, I ended up listening to this book for the lore). However, I finished it feeling like his influence in the blues genre is undeniable and he deserves all his due credit.

[David Tucker · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was quite disappointed with Tom Grave's Crossroads. At a little over one hundred pages, it reads more like a magazine article than scholarly research. There's just no meat; the facts are stripped down to such a basic level that there's little joy in reading the autobiography of the blues master, Robert Johnson.

[Tracy Sweet · Rating 1 out of 5]

No new information

This book is pretty much the same as every other Johnson book. Padded with assumption, opinion and he said, she said but no real substance. Found it boring and monotonous to read.

[Linda Kuczwanski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great to see this bit of local history with national implications so thoroughly explored.

[Anton Reiter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really Good.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, engaging book about Robert Johnson.

[Damon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick and enjoyable book, covering the life and legends about one of the greatest blues guitarists from the 30's. The author doesn't add a whole lot to his biography, but he does break down some of the legends and shows some the weaknesses and strong points of past theories of his life. Like, for example, was he really killed by a jealous bar man with a poison filled whiskey? Or was it, syphilis, or pneumonia? My personal bet would be on bad moonshine, but no one could ever know for sure. For his legend has grown so huge that he has joined the likes of Billy the Kid, Davey Crockett, Paul Bunyon, and Johny Appleseed.
The author does an excellent job of connecting the dots between jazz, folk, country, blues, and the modern music like rock n roll and hip hop. He also explains the nature of the music business in the thirties, and also how the transition in recording techniques have changed over the years. He also covers the differences in music products, like 78's, reel to reel, 8 tracks, cassettes, and how CD's brought out a musical revolution in the eighties and nineties. Much the same way DVD's are bringing some of the classic movies back for the modern audience today.
The author also covers how musicians from the fifties and sixties, such as Eric Clapton, Rolling Stones, Cream, Bob Dylan, and the Grateful Dead brought Robert Johnson back out of obscurity and into the lime light.

[Jon]

Graves is strong on the known unknowns and unknown unknowns of the life of this mysterious blues legend, including the different theories about how he died. He's also good on Johnson's cultural significance and his posthumous celebrity status from John Hammond's Carnegie Hall "Spirituals to Swing" concert, at which Hammond played 2 Johnson 78s (the man himself being inconveniently dead) to the stunning, unexpected success of Columbia's CD re-issue, the commemorative postage stamp, and the misleading portrait of Johnson and the Delta blues milieu in the movie CROSSROADS. But Graves has little to say about Johnson's songs themselves (with a few exceptions, as when he intriguingly suggests "Me and the Devil Blues" may have been intended as humor. I don't know, the line "I'm going to beat my woman until I get satisfied" always cracks ME up, but I can't speak for anyone else.) For information about, or analysis of RJ's classic numbers you'll have to seek out other sources.

[Tommy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The liner notes to the Robert Johnson box set which came out in the 1980's were so exhaustive and complete, there's not a whole lot for this very earnest author (Tom Graves) to add, but he does his best. Mostly, he tries to provide insights to Johnson's personality and dispel some of the mythology around his life, death, and that fateful night at the Crossroads. He claims his modest goal with the book is to create interest in Johnson's music for anyone for whom his book might be an entry point. For others, this might be a lot of rehashed information, but so little is known about Johnson, and his shadow looms so largely, it's worth the dive to explore what can be known...and personally, I'm grateful that mostly mystery remains. All that matters is that voice, and the mastery he brings to those guitar frets.

[Noah Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think as a guitar player playing any kind of blues or rock you will eventually discover and be influenced by Robert Johnson. I've spent a long time myself researching the man, separating fact and myth. You would have thought that I would have read this book already. But with the Internet I ended up skipping over it. I feel this book is very well informed and covers pretty much all bases. It reads well and for someone starting out their own "search for Robert Johnson" I would highly recommend it. For myself I already knew most of the facts and myths and stories in the book. All in all it was worth the read and I would recommend for people not only interested in the man but also people interested in delta blues and its history in general.

[Tristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an attempt to state "just the facts" about the life of Blues legend, Robert Johnson, of which there are very few, so it's a short read. And when you remove the myths, stories and legends of this iconic musician, there isn't much left and it makes for a very dry read. It would have been nice to weave a few more of the colorful myths through this book, if only to debunk them - at least there would be some meat to the book. As it is, it feels like an angry book report - "This is true! This isn't!"

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was fun, and a necessary addition/read for any Robert Johnson or early blues fan. This was not as well written as Elijah Wald's book, so I would recommend Elijah Wald's book first, (Escaping the Delta), however, Graves uncovered some hard-to-find facts about Johnson, and focused heavily on the legal rights to his music which occurred only after the british invasion and re-discovery of early delta blues masters by the Brits. The cult white audience grew tremendously, causing unforeseen legal complications tied to Johnson's music.

[Ronn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two and a half, maybe. You can skip the preface, the introduction, and the first chapter. Anyone who is likely to want to read about Robert Johnson in the first place already knows about how much Cream and the Rolling Stones have done for his legacy. While there IS some good information in this book [especially about the photos and the supposed film], much of the writing at times comes off like that of an excitable fan boy rather than a serious researcher. Peter Guralnick's SEARCHING FOR ROBERT JOHNSON is a better book, at least regarding the life of Johnson himself.

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Crossroads: The Life and Afterlife of Blues Legend Robert Johnson by Tom Graves (Demers Book LLC 2008) (780.92). A well-researched tome about the life of Delta blues legend Robert Johnson. Before his death at age 27, legend had it that he sold his soul to the devil at a Mississippi crossroad in exchange for the ability to play blues like no one had ever heard. Some say that his early death was the devil coming to collect what was due... My rating: 7/10, finished 2009.

[Diann Blakely]

Graves adds some facts to the life story of the mythic musician—commemorated, appropriately in this context, with three different headstones in three separate Mississippi locales--but, as third "debunking" Johnson bio to appear in as many years, CROSSROADS is surely the only book on the bluesman to include an entire chapter on Walter Hill's movie of the same name.
















(orginally published in the NASHVILLE SCENE / Village Voice Media)

[Ben Dietz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tom Graves' book is short and to the point about Johnson's life and is enjoyable but anyone who's studied Johnson's time on this Earth vigorously won't find much new here. I'd recommend this book to people who possess an interest in this modern American legend and don't know where to start researching the artist other than his musical recordings but otherwise I'd recommend reading other books.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sets the record straight without sucking the joy out of the subject. Graves addresses the myths surrounding Johnson without tearing them down, allowing the reader two simulaneous versions of the same man. Fascinating, quick read.

[Cindy]

A fascinating mystery - did he meet he devil at the crossroads ? The myth says yes. This book is a bit more factual .

[Joe Matson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short but covers a lot of the history surrounding Johnson, particularly the scholarly and legal debates over his legacy. Doesn’t add much new information.

[Monica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Better written than the other. Still not much insight

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent insight into the blues legend.