www.youtube.com A very good bio-doc (from 1992) effort to untangle the life and myths of blues legend Robert Johnson. This is a challenging task, as not a lot is known about Johnson except through his music and through lore. There is speculation at times, but this is inevitable. It still uncovers a lot, from his rejection by his family (blues was the work of the devil) to the darkness of his lyrics and the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death. I would have preferred the original music of Johnson, but narrator John Hammond does a very satisfactory job in his renditions. Relatively minor players "Honeyboy" Edwards and Johnny Shines give classic delta blues performances that stand out. Appearances by Eric Clapton and Keith Richards help to emphasize Johnsons lasting impact on blues and rock. Johnson was never interviewed, and his performance was never captured on film. Beside his music, all that are left are oral accounts, peppered by exaggeration and myth. An accurate, objective bio may be impossible to achieve. But The Search for Robert Johnson comes about as close as might be expected, and has great entertainment value as well.
Search For Robert Johnson (Part 1 of 5)
23 thoughts on “Search For Robert Johnson (Part 1 of 5)”
Posted On in Uncategorized with 23 Comments.
It’s about soul, not about colour.
no tiene traduccion, se ingles pero no tanto hahaha
john hammond is a legend in his own right, as was his father, look them up
Yes, it seems most old blues songs is about love problems, being in love, being poor, having drinking problems. dealing with life, feeling sad etc.There is a song concerning racial stuff that comes to my mind though: "Strange Fruit" by Billie Holliday. It’s based on a poem, based on a photo of the lynching and hanging of two young black men, by a crowd going crazy from a rumour of a rape. Holliday performed for mainly white people, and usually opened by playing that song. Love that song.
Awesome! Way more detail than Crossroads!
Also, a neat thing about it not being about color: you’ll seldom find an old school blues tune about any sort of injustice. As Son House said, "There ain’t but one kind of blues, and that’s the kind between two people that love each other." If that’s what the blues are about, there’s nothing racial about it.
Okay, maybe i shouldn’t have it that way. You’re right in saying the blues itself isn’t about color. It’s just self expression. To be honest, It’s only recently I realized it’s more than just a music genre. But society treats it as a genre, and there are certain things that make a song sound good. Black people have the voice to make the blues really ring out. There’s nothing "racist" about it; there is no spiritual or social or historic reason why whites don’t do it as well, they just don’t.
This is wonderfu. Thanks a lot.
Whatever. Buddy Guy, BB King, Freddie King, Albert King, Muddy Waters and Jimi Hendrix said you dont have to be black to play the blues. They were right. Dont be ashamed of your color. Only racists think there is a connection between mind, skin, history, and they think you have the burden of your fathers. I’d say everyone has responsibilty for their own actions, no matter if they are black people who hates whites, white people who hate blacks, or normal people.
I dont know much about music history, but Robert Johnson is one of the first blues musicians i listened to. When i was 23 years old i went to a library and borrowed a CD thinking it was rock/metal (lol). It was Howlin Wolf. Started to listen to more blues, like Robert Johnson, T-Bone Walker, John Lee Hooker, Otis Rush and some other stuff. Robert was very special to listen to. Music that touches the heart.
I remember watching this when it was first broadcast, in England, on Channel 4, Spring ’92. First documentary/film ever seen (maybe ever made!) about Robert Johnson.
You’ve done a fantastic job. Thank you so much for posting this
I didn’t know this existed, thank you good sir.
I don’t wanna be annoying, but can you upload subtitles for this please? English is not my native language, so it is hard for me to understand some parts.
That shot at 3:30 is so awesome. Great way to sum up "hellhound on my trail"
strangest thing…i just woke up and had the urge to find a robert johnson documentary
Thanks for posting!
One of the best Blues players ever.
GIVE IT UP FOR JOHN HAMMOND ….
my Aunt told me about Robert Johnson and for myself being a guitarist mostly influenced by Metal This Man really interested me i want to learn a few licks to incorporate with my style. Also the legend about him and the devil really caught my attention
Thank you so much, sambobla, and thank Christ for the internet.
I’m with you, Bayou Blues!
u got a heart u sing the blues , human or animal
Bro, you’re so right. It’s why I don’t like being so white, I do the blues no justice 🙁 nice thing about the genre though is that the enjoyment of listening to them is something anyone can have.