Did Robert Johnson really sell his soul to the devil?

[hickman1937]

I was watching his biography yesterday and thats been on my mind ever since. Did he believe that he did? Where would that come from?

Edited for stupidity. I was just reading about Charlie Parker. Sorry

[mark414]

1. do you mean Robert Johnson?

[RetroLounge]

2. Robert Parker?

Uhm, yes, he did...

RL

[McKenzie]

3. legend has it he did

he went to the crossroads at midnight, so the story goes, and ol' Pointy Tail appeared to get his side of the bargain.

Legend or not, the devil has all the best tunes...

[mr blur]

4. Nah, but it's a great story

His songs certainly deal with the dark side of life and you get the feeling that the idea of the devil was very real to him. He seemed haunted by the feeling that he was on a dark road and, indeed, hellbound. The legend is that in return for his soul he was given mastery of the guitar but I've read in a number of places that he was already an accomplished guitar player.

[RagingInMiami]

5. Rumor has it that Led Zeppelin also sold their sold to the devil

Which many believe is they they had outstanding success for only a decade, only for it to end in tragedy with the death of John Bonham.

[Bob3]

6. The Story goes like this.

You go to the crossroads at midnight with your guitar. You wait there and a black man will come up behind you and offer to tune your guitar. Without looking you hand him the guitar - He tunes it, plays a song on it and then hands to back to you. Now you can play the blues. You haven't sold your soul per say but you are now marked.

Robert Johnson makes reference to this legend in his Crossroad Blues. Tommy Johnson (No relation) was fond of saying HE had sold his soul to the devil to learn how to play. Pete Wheatshaw advertised himself as the high sheriff of hell. Johnny Shines who traveled with Robert for a time thought the story nonsense.


End of Blues lecture.

[Bridget Burke]

7. Papa Legba is the lord of the Crossroads....

That's his name as a Haitian loa; Spanish speaking practitioners call him Elegua.

When African captives were brought to the Americas they were strategically dispersed as part of the acculturation/pacification process and not allowed to practice their religions or adhere to their respective cultures. Where the African way was heavily repressed, as it was in the US, it became magical. Where allowed, it planted syncretic roots. In Haiti, Fon blended with Catholicism and became Vodou. In Cuba, Yoruba blended with Catholicism and became Santeria. Down in Brazil, Congo and Yoruba bred Macumba and Condomble.

www.nathanielturner.com/mojorising.htm

The old African beliefs were driven far underground in America. African-American (& other) intellectuals have brought them to light.

But, back then, down in Mississippi, anyone met at the crossroads had to be the Devil.

[cestpaspossible]

8. No. It's a joke the devil likes to play

tricking people into 'selling their souls'.

In reality the devil already already owns all our souls because we are in Hell.