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 5 of 5)
24 thoughts on “Search For Robert Johnson (Part 5 of 5)”
Posted On in Uncategorized with 24 Comments.
robert johnson-heavier than zeppelin and sabbath.i mean c’mon ,hell hound on my trail?? me and the devil? scarier than horror movies! just look at how long roberts fingers were.his guitar work remains head and shoulders above the pack.robert,i hope you are with The Good Lord.
man, this was great, you are a good musician also, got any cd’s
interesting documentary—I once met a fellow in Mississippi who told me about how he acquired a busted up old guitar he claimed was left behind after a fight Johnson got in in Mississippi. Someone who got the guitar and took it home gave it to him many years later. If the man could prove it was Robert Johnson’s old guitar, it would be worth some big bucks most likely–it belongs in a Robert Johnson museum where everyone can enjoy seeing it.
Thank you for this series of videos. I am a percussionist learning to play the guitar and I’ve been listening to Johnson’s tunes for a few years now. Though I can’t play proficiently yet, I am eager to learn the blues over any other style of playing. This documentary has been quite enjoyable to watch and I’ve got to say, some of these comments made me laugh. Thanks for posting these. I think the world should be more eager to learn about one of it’s greatest players of all time.
Some of the most tragic people coming from the most repressive situations so often end up coming up with the most interesting talented sounds that ends up changing music forever in one way or another.
interesting.
Yes! I agree!
I liked this documentary alot! Robert Johnson was one of the first blues artists i found when listening to random music from the library about 15 years ago. There is so much simplicity and beauty in his songs. They stay in my head. Thanks for uploading this. It’s hard to forget that voice and guitarr, and why would i?
This was a GREAT documentary. I thought Robert Johnson’s life was left to legend. It’s amazing that John Hammond was able to recreate his life so well, finding people who knew him – who were still alive in 1992. There are a bunch of great old photos too. He even found the original Willie Mae – the woman for whom he wrote, "Love in vain." Wow. This makes all those hours wondering around on Youtube worth it!!!!
the one thing i still don’t understand is why Eric Clapton gets credit for writing "crossroads" in his music book…and Robert Johnson gets credit for writing it in his own music book…i have both books ..RJ recorded this song even before EC was born…would you put some light into the matter? thank you…thank you for uploading all this five vids…
I saw this documentary some years back and have been hoping to find it on YouTube. Thanks a million for posting this.♥♥♥♥
…Don’t know where RJ is buried at, but, I do know who killed JFK…And I AIN’T TELLIN’!!!
thanks for watching! 🙂
THANKS FOR THIS MAN
I enjoyed watching this documentary. Back in those days in the deep south, black folk didn’t have much. All they had was music. Not only did Robert Johnson entertain lowly paid manual workers, he revolutionised the sound of the guitar and inspired famous musicians such as Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix and many more. I’m not sure if he sold his soul on the cross roads, but something supernatural happened to him! In my opinion, the best blues guitarist!
whooo whaaaa….good doc maaaan….
also i couldnt find the next documentary about Robert Johnson on your page? have you uploaded it yet? cheers.
its amazing that these old guys had nothing, no expensive guitars or mics, hardly any choice in studios, dealing with a hell of a lot of pointless racism and lack of options in life and they made music that will transcend time. its the modern version of mozart or bach. its influence is unlimited in modern music and for that i tip my cap to them. problem is im getting addicted to the blues.lol. want to know the history to. so having a good old search around. again thanks for these.
thanks dude.yeah there is plenty of time wasting messages on here.always get friend invites from things i aint interested in but, hay who cares right.its all promotion.it was Seasick Steve that got me interested in trying to play blues and from there i found out about HOLLOWBELLY (uk blues/punk artist) and on from that cigar box guitars which naturally leads to older delta blues.i used to rap but blues blows that stuff out the water. ive finally found what im looking for.love the stuff
and way too many of those messages arw just scam or commercials u know 🙂 but anyway i’d be happy to talk about blues!
dont be ashamed mate, it was the same thing with me.. 🙂 it was Muddy Waters who stole my heart for the blues a few years ago and in time i got so many great songs on my PC i felt like i had to upload them all here to share with others and maybe to help other people find this art. im afraid u are the one who has to drop me with a message becouse youtube users send me like 30 messages every day im sorry but i dont have the energy atm to answer in every single one
just finished watching this doc.never really knew much about Robert Johnson till recently when i started playing the blues and making my own instruments.im disappointed in myself for not taking interest sooner.its clear hes an absolute legend and im about to go watch the other doc now.thanks for uploading this.if you ever want to talk blues drop me a message.
also it was amazing to hear thar robert could play every song from note to note after hearing the song only once and he did not even practise them! now that’s some real talent!
If you liked this you have to watch the other Robert Johnson documentary from my channel, name was "cant you hear the wind howl" if i remember right, there was some "talking heads" from this documentary but lots of new stuff and lots of secrets revealed about the man himself… Most important thing to me was to hear that when he was dying he wrote on a piece of paper something like "Lord Jesus my god, i know i am a sinner but i know that you are my savior" he did NOT sell his soul.