You got it! Clarksdale MS. Just south of there is the intersection of highway 61 and 49. The legend is that blues singer, Robert Johnson, sold his soul to the devil to get musical powers at this crossroad. Lyrics to some of his songs talk about the devil chasing him. He's considered the father of Delta Blues. Dylan's album Highway 61 is a homage to the Johnson legend. A lot of modern rock artists look up to him and Johnson's song Crossroads Blues was redone by many artists,
In 1986, Robert Johnson's "Cross Road Blues" was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame, noting that "regardless of mythology and rock 'n' roll renditions, Johnson's record was indeed a powerful one, a song that would stand the test of time on its own".[9] In 1998, it received a Grammy Hall of Fame Award, which "honor[s] recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance".[17] In 1995, Cream's "Crossroads" was included on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of the "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll".[18] Rolling Stone magazine placed it at number three on its "Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time".[19] Numerous musicians have recorded renditions of "Cross Road Blues", usually following Cream's arrangement. Some of these include:[20]The Allman Joys, The Doors (on their Live In Pittsburgh 1970 album), Free, Jeff Healey, Cyndi Lauper, Lynyrd Skynyrd (on their One More from the Road live album), John Mayer, Phish, Paul Rodgers, Rush, Robin Trower, Leslie West, and Johnny Winter. en.wikipedia.org
Eric Clapton said he was "the most important blues singer that ever lived." en.wikipedia.org
Johnson was one of the first inductees to the so-called 27 Club . (Don't know why these last two comments are in the balloon, I didn't put them there.) |
