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Listen to Looch: exploring the legend of blues musician Robert Johnson

July 23, 2019

One of the two known photos of Robert Johnson. This portrait was taken by the Hooks Bros. Photography Company in Memphis, Tenn., circa 1935.Courtesy of the Delta Haze Corporation/NPR

The Netflix documentary, ReMastered: Devil at the Crossroads, explores the life, legends and legacy of influential blues musician Robert Johnson.

Growing up in the Mississippi Delta in the early 20th century, Johnson saw two choices available to him: pick cotton or play music in juke joints. Johnson opted for playing music in juke joints.

The problem with Johnson's early career was that he simply wasn't very good. Evidently, he was so bad, legends like Son House told him to go away. So Johnson did go away. After a year or so, Johnson returned — only now, he blew the room away with his performance.

So how did that happen? A lot of locals determined Johnson must have sold his soul to the devil in exchange for guitar skills. This documentary addresses that legend, but it goes much deeper than that.

Official Trailer

External Link

ReMastered: Devil at the Crossroads - official Netflix site

Gallery

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Robert Johnson mural in Clarksdale, Mississippi — Mural of Mississippi jazz musician Robert Johnson in Clarksdale, Miss., a music center in the Mississippi Delta.
Carol M. Highsmith Archive/Library of Congress

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Taj Mahal in the Netflix doc, 'Remastered: Devil at the Crossroads' — Taj Mahal in the Netflix documentary, 'Remastered: Devil at the Crossroads,' which looks at the life, legend and legacy of influential blues musician Robert Johnson.
Netflix

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The Devil's Crossroads in Clarksdale, Miss. — The "Devil's Crossroads" (or simply Crossroads) sign in Clarksdale, Miss., a prominent home to old-time blues music in the Mississippi (River) Delta region in Northwest Mississippi.
Carol M. Highsmith Archive/Library of Congress