What was so good about Robert Johnson?

What was so good about Robert Johnson?

Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911 – August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His landmark recordings in 1936 and 1937 display a combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that has influenced later generations of musicians.

What made Robert Johnson so special?

Robert Johnson is considered to be one of the greatest blues performers of all time. His hits include “I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom” and “Sweet Home Chicago,” which has become a blues standard. Part of his mythology is a story of how he gained his musical talents by making a bargain with the devil.

Why was Robert Johnson so influential?

Robert Johnson, (born c. 1911, Hazlehurst, Mississippi, U.S.—died August 16, 1938, near Greenwood, Mississippi), American blues composer, guitarist, and singer whose eerie falsetto singing voice and masterful rhythmic slide guitar influenced both his contemporaries and many later blues and rock musicians.

What does it mean when a person has the walking blues?

Walking blues is a phrase that represents when someone is “In the blues” for a extended amount of time.

What is Robert Johnson’s most famous song?

1.) Hellhound on My Trail is his most powerful song, and it really shows the depth of Johnson as a musician; he completely immerses himself in those ominous verses with a howl in his voice of pain and the presentiment that something’s coming to get him.

What Blues sold his soul?

Robert Johnson
Robert Johnson stands at the crossroads of American music, much as it is rumored that he once stood at a Mississippi crossroads and sold his soul to the devil in exchange for his unique musical gifts.

What is the most common form for a blues song?

12-bar blues
The most common musical form of blues is the 12-bar blues. The term “12-bar” refers to the number of measures, or musical bars, used to express the theme of a typical blues song.

How did Robert Johnson influence blues?

Born on May 11, 1911, Robert Johnson changed the blues and rock’n’roll forever – with just 29 songs. Johnson’s compositions became rock standards, covered by Eric Clapton, Fleetwood Mac, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, the White Stripes and just about anybody who’s owed a debt to black American blues.

How does Bono describe the walking blues?

Bono describes his father as having the “walking blues,” a condition that Bono blames for his own fear of having children. Bono, afraid of wandering like his father, and disappointing a child because of a lack of commitment to the child’s mother and family, does not repeat his father’s shortcomings.

Why does Troy leave home at the age of 14?

Troy was afraid of his father until that moment. At that moment, however, Troy believes he became a man. He could no longer live under the roof with a man that would commit these unacceptable acts, so he left home to be on his own, though he was homeless and broke, with no ties or family elsewhere.

Was Robert Johnson a good guitar player?

Regarded as one of the greatest guitarists of all time, Delta blues wizard Robert Johnson recorded only 29 songs (plus 13 alternate takes, in two sessions) during his 27 years of life. Johnson played his Gibson L-1 using a thumb pick and occasionally used a slide.

What was the meaning of Robert Johnson’s song Walkin Blues?

In the piece “Walkin’ Blues” Johnson seems to portray a different element, this time he expresses helplessness over the loss of a woman. The immediate context of this song seems to be a man totally depressed over the departure of his woman. He says; “I woke up this mornin’ feelin’ round for my shoes, know ‘bout where I got these old walkin’ blues.”

Who was the original singer of Walking Blues?

In honor of blues legend Robert Johnson’s birthday, we are proud to share our latest Song Around The World, “Walking Blues,” featuring Keb’ Mo’ along with musicians from six countries. Originally written and recorded by Son House in 1930, Robert recorded his own version in 1936.

Why did Robert Johnson sound like two guitar players?

One of the staples of Johnson’s style is his ability to sound at times like two guitar players, combining driving rhythms on the lower strings with melodic figures on the higher strings. Due to the fact that his recordings were intentionally sped up when first released, definitive analyses of his tunings and capo positions is near impossible.

Why did Robert Johnson Sing Me and the Devil Blues?

It’s a story made more relevant, in the construction of the Robert Johnson myth, when coupled with Johnson’s frequent references to the Devil. In his songs including, ‘Me And The Devil Blues’, in which he sings, “Me and the Devil, was walkin’ side by side”.