Library Rock's Backpages

Turning Points: Robert Johnson

Charles Shaar Murray, Daily Telegraph, November 1999

THE LEGEND OF Robert Johnson was a long time in the building, and it was forged by the fusion of his brilliance and his obscurity. He became the grand archetype of the pre-war Mississippi Delta blues singers despite having recorded, during his brief career, a mere 29 songs, few of which were released during his lifetime, and only one of those achieved the status of even a regional hit.

Total word count of piece: 1023

Subscribe

Becoming a member is easy. Membership gives you access to all the thousands of articles in the library.

Click here to go to Subscribe page.

Click here for academic and other group subscriptions.