* A Mississippi Delta Crossroads * Yahoo Images
* Welcome back to Rock A Billy Rock! My late husband Karo inspired this blog and left me in charge of finding notable artists of Rockabilly, and any other style of music that I pull out of my hat. Karo lived for music...Rock and Roll, Country, Rockabilly, and Blues! I grew up loving music, and I have my parents to thank for that. Both of my parents played the piano. My mother is almost 94 years old, and still has her piano, but I don't think she plays anymore.
My dad was the "Boogie Woogie" musician in our family. He could run that keyboard with the best of them. Dad was a Jerry Lee Lewis fan, and, also enjoyed Elvis and Dolly Parton. One year my parents took us to the Grand Ole Opry in Kansas, where we enjoyed Brenda Lee and Minnie Pearl, among some of the other greats like Tennessee Ernie Ford!
Dad also played the mandolin, and, even though I cannot play it, I am proud to be the owner of his mandolin.
Dad also played the mandolin, and, even though I cannot play it, I am proud to be the owner of his mandolin.
* My dad, Leo Berry * Served S SGT. Army WWII
July 11, 1922 * June 4, 1983
photo was taken somewhere in the early to mid 1940's
***
Having been a devout Rock and Roll, and Soul Music fan, I wasn't familiar with many other genres of music, aside from being subjected to Hee Haw, Lawrence Welk and the likes on Saturday nights as a teenager. And, now...I can't get enough of the various styles and artists that have graced our radio stations and stages.
* In the past 20 or so years, I have branched out and opened up to some of our very beginnings, and what I am finding is fascinating and exciting!
Just recently, some names unknown to me came across my desk here at the KardKorner, and I just had to find out a little bit about them.
*** So here we GO! ***
~ Robert Leroy Johnson
I guess it's safe to say we're going way back with this one. Robert Johnson was born in Hazlehurst, Mississippi in May of 1911. Having moved around a lot in his youth, Robert grew up fast, and lived fast! He did not take to the sharecropper life, and, desiring to be a blues singer, Robert taught himself to play guitar, harmonica and piano. He became known as a "walking musician" along The Mississippi Delta region. In various towns, Robert frequented juke joints and played street corners, but was not considered "up and coming" by record labels, and, although known to be pretty good with his harmonica, he was rejected for his off key guitar playing.
I remember reading somewhere that folks would say of his guitar playing, "Such a racket you never heard! Get that guitar away from that boy!"
~ Robert Johnson * Yahoo Images
Robert hit the road after his second wife died in childbirth, he had no reason to hang around. It's during this period that he tried his hand at guitar playing and singing, only to be disappointed.
~ Mississippi Delta Region * Google Images (thanks!)
***
Then, Robert Johnson disappeared! I wonder if anyone missed him while he was gone...did the folks in the Juke Joints worry that something had happened to Robert, or did they feel like he just "upt and moved on"!
Then...by and by, Robert Johnson is back in town! He starts visiting the Juke Joints and dance halls, and sits in on a few band sets. Wow! This guy was on fire, exhibiting extraordinary guitar playing and singing talent! Robert eventually came to be known as
one of "The Kings of The Delta Blues Singers".
I don't know about y'all, but I think it's about time for a song!
"Me and The Devil Blues"
* Pretty cool, huh! And how about that video...the illustration gives us the story as Robert tells it. He sings, "Early this morning when you knocked upon my door, I said, 'Hello Satan, I believe it's time to go.' Me and the devil are walkin side by side. You may bury my body down by the highway side."
Regarding Robert's voice and style, I came across a few comments: "This song has a creepy aura." "Very spooky and haunting."
and, it was said that Robert had a "Ghostly Wail"
Mr. Johnson is the author of this tale, and recorded the song in a makeshift studio in Dallas, Texas. This is said to have been his last recording session in June of 1937.
***
What changed? How did Robert develop such a good hand at guitar playing...or did someone just take the instrument away from him and tune it! I'll bet there were a few tall tales flying about as to how his talent took a more positive turn.
* Did I give it away? Well, legend has it that Robert found himself at the Delta crossroads, not really knowing which way to go. He just knew he had to develop his talent into something unique which would set him apart from others, into a class of his own. It is here rumor has it, that Robert was visited by a dark being (Satan?) who promised to make him great in exchange for his soul, and a few years of his life.
* Robert Johnson was well known as a womanizer, with a gal in every town. I guess he could charm women into taking him in when he had nowhere else to stay. I believe he was only married twice, but possibly fathered 3 children during his life. Mr. Johnson also loved his whiskey, which may have contributed to his early demise, or not!
Although he was becoming pretty well known among his audiences and peers, Robert still didn't produce any big hits. Within the last year or two of his life, he recorded eleven 78 rpm records and 29 songs with Vocalion Records. He recorded in San Antonio, Texas and Dallas. In 1990, Sony released a 2-CD box of "The Complete Recordings", which was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.
~ Robert Leroy Johnson *
Yahoo Images
Somewhere in August of 1938, I think Robert's last performance was at a store or building behind the Three Forks Grocery near Greenwood in Leflore County. There had been a big juke house out back behind the grocery, owned by a bootlegger who sold a lot of whiskey out of the place.
* They say that Robert would flirt, and was possibly having an affair with the wife of this bootlegger. He offered Robert a few dollars to play at the joint for a while, and Robert was happy to play. However, it is said that later the bootlegger gave Robert a bottle of whiskey (which was already open). After drinking the whiskey, Robert became sick.
~ Could this be the Three Forks Grocery Store?
Yahoo Images
Robert's friend, Honeyboy Edwards, also a Delta Blues Musician, got him out of there and took him to an acquaintance's home, where he died 3 days later at the age of 27. It is believed that the bootlegger laced the bottle of whiskey with strychnine, or that Robert passed away due to complications from syphilis.
There are several sites reputed to be where Robert died, and also, where he is buried. According to Honeyboy Edwards, who was there that night, the area was around the intersection of Hwy 49E and Hwy 82 near Greenwood, Ms. The most likely burial site noted is at Little Zion Missionary. Three Forks Grocery and the building behind it were destroyed in a tornado in 1942.
* This is one of the grave sites where it is said to be the most likely place that Robert Johnson is buried. The location is Little Zion Missionary near Money, Mississippi.
Mr. Son House (below) was an influence on Robert Johnson. Son was more impressed with Robert's harmonica playing skills, and less with his guitar skills.
Robert could sometimes be seen in the company of Johnny Shines
*** So...we've just about come to the end of journey #1, into the Blues, and I hope you have enjoyed the presentation as much as I enjoyed putting it together. There is always so much more to a story, and I wish I could sit around with you all and hear your versions of our historical Blues! Robert Johnson was one of the trailblazers who succeeded in influencing many of our today artists like The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Robert Plant, and Bob Dylan. In fact, Eric Clapton considers Robert Johnson to be the most important Blues singer that ever lived!"
*** Among some of Robert Johnson's credits are: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 1986, Grammy Hall of Fame 1998 for his single, Crossroad Blues, and Blues Hall of Fame for "The Complete Recordings" CD Box set in 1990. Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame 2000 and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award 2006 ***
*** The photo of my dad, is exclusively mine.
*** The image with the smoking hand was acquired from Yahoo images,
but I manipulated the photo and added the smoke
*** I want to thank all of my resources used to research this information, too many to name ***
All images not mentioned were acquired from Yahoo images, and, or Google images
Thank you readers for coming by...please stop in and say hello if you can, I appreciate all comments. If you are too shy to comment, you can check a reaction at the bottom of my post.
*** It's just one little click! 😉
Do we have time for just ONE MORE song? Allright!
photo was taken somewhere in the early to mid 1940's
***
Having been a devout Rock and Roll, and Soul Music fan, I wasn't familiar with many other genres of music, aside from being subjected to Hee Haw, Lawrence Welk and the likes on Saturday nights as a teenager. And, now...I can't get enough of the various styles and artists that have graced our radio stations and stages.
* In the past 20 or so years, I have branched out and opened up to some of our very beginnings, and what I am finding is fascinating and exciting!
Just recently, some names unknown to me came across my desk here at the KardKorner, and I just had to find out a little bit about them.
*** So here we GO! ***
~ Robert Leroy Johnson
I guess it's safe to say we're going way back with this one. Robert Johnson was born in Hazlehurst, Mississippi in May of 1911. Having moved around a lot in his youth, Robert grew up fast, and lived fast! He did not take to the sharecropper life, and, desiring to be a blues singer, Robert taught himself to play guitar, harmonica and piano. He became known as a "walking musician" along The Mississippi Delta region. In various towns, Robert frequented juke joints and played street corners, but was not considered "up and coming" by record labels, and, although known to be pretty good with his harmonica, he was rejected for his off key guitar playing.
I remember reading somewhere that folks would say of his guitar playing, "Such a racket you never heard! Get that guitar away from that boy!"
~ Robert Johnson * Yahoo Images
Robert hit the road after his second wife died in childbirth, he had no reason to hang around. It's during this period that he tried his hand at guitar playing and singing, only to be disappointed.
~ Mississippi Delta Region * Google Images (thanks!)
***
Then, Robert Johnson disappeared! I wonder if anyone missed him while he was gone...did the folks in the Juke Joints worry that something had happened to Robert, or did they feel like he just "upt and moved on"!
Then...by and by, Robert Johnson is back in town! He starts visiting the Juke Joints and dance halls, and sits in on a few band sets. Wow! This guy was on fire, exhibiting extraordinary guitar playing and singing talent! Robert eventually came to be known as
one of "The Kings of The Delta Blues Singers".
I don't know about y'all, but I think it's about time for a song!
"Me and The Devil Blues"
* Pretty cool, huh! And how about that video...the illustration gives us the story as Robert tells it. He sings, "Early this morning when you knocked upon my door, I said, 'Hello Satan, I believe it's time to go.' Me and the devil are walkin side by side. You may bury my body down by the highway side."
Regarding Robert's voice and style, I came across a few comments: "This song has a creepy aura." "Very spooky and haunting."
and, it was said that Robert had a "Ghostly Wail"
Mr. Johnson is the author of this tale, and recorded the song in a makeshift studio in Dallas, Texas. This is said to have been his last recording session in June of 1937.
***
What changed? How did Robert develop such a good hand at guitar playing...or did someone just take the instrument away from him and tune it! I'll bet there were a few tall tales flying about as to how his talent took a more positive turn.
* Did I give it away? Well, legend has it that Robert found himself at the Delta crossroads, not really knowing which way to go. He just knew he had to develop his talent into something unique which would set him apart from others, into a class of his own. It is here rumor has it, that Robert was visited by a dark being (Satan?) who promised to make him great in exchange for his soul, and a few years of his life.
* Robert Johnson was well known as a womanizer, with a gal in every town. I guess he could charm women into taking him in when he had nowhere else to stay. I believe he was only married twice, but possibly fathered 3 children during his life. Mr. Johnson also loved his whiskey, which may have contributed to his early demise, or not!
Although he was becoming pretty well known among his audiences and peers, Robert still didn't produce any big hits. Within the last year or two of his life, he recorded eleven 78 rpm records and 29 songs with Vocalion Records. He recorded in San Antonio, Texas and Dallas. In 1990, Sony released a 2-CD box of "The Complete Recordings", which was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.
~ Robert Leroy Johnson *
Yahoo Images
Somewhere in August of 1938, I think Robert's last performance was at a store or building behind the Three Forks Grocery near Greenwood in Leflore County. There had been a big juke house out back behind the grocery, owned by a bootlegger who sold a lot of whiskey out of the place.
* They say that Robert would flirt, and was possibly having an affair with the wife of this bootlegger. He offered Robert a few dollars to play at the joint for a while, and Robert was happy to play. However, it is said that later the bootlegger gave Robert a bottle of whiskey (which was already open). After drinking the whiskey, Robert became sick.
~ Could this be the Three Forks Grocery Store?
Yahoo Images
Robert's friend, Honeyboy Edwards, also a Delta Blues Musician, got him out of there and took him to an acquaintance's home, where he died 3 days later at the age of 27. It is believed that the bootlegger laced the bottle of whiskey with strychnine, or that Robert passed away due to complications from syphilis.
There are several sites reputed to be where Robert died, and also, where he is buried. According to Honeyboy Edwards, who was there that night, the area was around the intersection of Hwy 49E and Hwy 82 near Greenwood, Ms. The most likely burial site noted is at Little Zion Missionary. Three Forks Grocery and the building behind it were destroyed in a tornado in 1942.
* This is one of the grave sites where it is said to be the most likely place that Robert Johnson is buried. The location is Little Zion Missionary near Money, Mississippi.
Mr. Son House (below) was an influence on Robert Johnson. Son was more impressed with Robert's harmonica playing skills, and less with his guitar skills.
Robert could sometimes be seen in the company of Johnny Shines
*** So...we've just about come to the end of journey #1, into the Blues, and I hope you have enjoyed the presentation as much as I enjoyed putting it together. There is always so much more to a story, and I wish I could sit around with you all and hear your versions of our historical Blues! Robert Johnson was one of the trailblazers who succeeded in influencing many of our today artists like The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Robert Plant, and Bob Dylan. In fact, Eric Clapton considers Robert Johnson to be the most important Blues singer that ever lived!"
*** Among some of Robert Johnson's credits are: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 1986, Grammy Hall of Fame 1998 for his single, Crossroad Blues, and Blues Hall of Fame for "The Complete Recordings" CD Box set in 1990. Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame 2000 and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award 2006 ***
*** The photo of my dad, is exclusively mine.
*** The image with the smoking hand was acquired from Yahoo images,
but I manipulated the photo and added the smoke
*** I want to thank all of my resources used to research this information, too many to name ***
All images not mentioned were acquired from Yahoo images, and, or Google images
Thank you readers for coming by...please stop in and say hello if you can, I appreciate all comments. If you are too shy to comment, you can check a reaction at the bottom of my post.
*** It's just one little click! 😉
Do we have time for just ONE MORE song? Allright!
Yay! Enjoy your week, dear readers! Take care of yourselves and each other!
Give love and laughter (I hear it's good medicine)
Come see me next time when I pull another Journey out of my Blues hat!
Hi, Suzanne!
ReplyDeleteI am delighted to see you back with a new post on Karo's Rock A Billy Rock and singing the blues in a very good way. On this visit I took notice of your sidebar and admire the elements included, especially your touching tribute to your late husband. I miss him, too!
Thanks for revealing that both of your parents played the piano. As much as I love music, I didn't come from a particularly musical family. I can't remember my mother ever playing an instrument. However my father, in his youth, was an accomplished banjo player and was a member of a banjo band that gave public performances for the community in York, PA. My brother played the bugle in a classic drum and bugle corps. I played various types of drums and other percussion instruments, although not very well. As a boy I listened to my big brother's Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley records and my parents' Tennessee Ernie records which included "Sixteen Tons." We also watched The Tennessee Ernie Ford television show.
Thanks for showing a picture of your brave and handsome dad. It is an honor that you still have his mandolin in your possession. I don't know what became of my dad's banjo that he played in the 1930s. When I was a boy I saw it up in the attic and sometimes picked on it. I was living in Florida when dad died, and I assume his banjo was sold at auction. I wish I had it now.
I am pleased to learn the extent to which you have expanded your taste in music to include genres that were overlooked earlier in your life. The same is true for me. When you add more choices, you enrich your life. There is always more great music to discover if you are willing to search for it.
When I was in my 20s I got interested in early rural and urban blues artists, and Robert Johnson, one of the Kings of The Delta Blues Singers, was one of the artists I remember listening to in my collection of vinyl albums. I enjoyed learning more about the terrific/prolific self-taught blues man in this post. Johnson's eerie "Me And the Devil Blues," a song he wrote and reportedly his last recording, would work well in a movie soundtrack, (probably one starring Billy Bob Thornton) perhaps used in the opening titles or closing credits. I agree that Johnson's vocal style is a ghostly wail. I also like the spoken part inserted in the middle of the song. It's creepy to think that Johnson might have made a deal with the devil, giving his soul in exchange for talent and recognition as a blues singer and musician. Based on the pictures, Robert Johnson was, as the song goes, a "brown-eyed handsome man," and it is easy to imagine him being able to charm his way into the homes (and bedrooms) of female fans as he traveled about. It is not much of a stretch to believe that Robert might have been poisoned by a jealous husband. Stranger things have happened in this world. Whether he died from strychnine or syphilis, he had a short life but one that was lived on his own terms, a "traveling man" adventure story that captures the imagination of timid souls like me.
Thanks for reminding readers that many rock stars of the 60s and 70s on both sides of the pond were influenced by old time blues greats like Johnson and his contemporaries. In the summer of 1968 Eric Clapton and his band Cream released "Crossroads" on an EP, and in January 1969 as the A side of a single. "Crossroads" was adapted from Robert Johnson's "Cross Road Blues" and "Traveling Riverside Blues." I owned this Atco 45 in my teen years:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u4Ct7HfyUk
This was a super post, Suzanne. I really enjoyed it and Karo would be proud. I look forward to the next installment and I wish you and Scootie a safe and restful I-Day. Take care, dear friend!
Good Morning Shady! We're now heading into late morning, and it's trying to get steamy outdoors. I think we're expecting some rain today and tomorrow for the 4th. Scootie and I may have to stay in for fireworks, haha! I don't like to get out anyway on the 4th, but I don't want Scootie to miss the celebrations and hope his dad will join us.
DeleteI'm glad you enjoyed my post this morning. This is such an interesting story, and creepy too! It's funny how sometimes several weeks or months can make a difference in one's life, and don't you wish we could have been flies on the wall to see what really transpired with Robert Johnson!
I've seen and heard Clapton perform Crossroads, and I really like his rendition of it! I am amazed and impressed that other artists seized this song, and attempted (actually successfully) to make it their own. This is one of the things that keeps me delving into the history of past musicians. It helps me to understand what has driven our current musicians, and, those upcoming artists to their successes. I know I will come across more of these unique folks in my journey.
I wanted to mention my parents, because I am certain my father knew of plenty of these artists. I had no idea he knew who Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings were, haha! When he passed away, my sister, brother and I divided dad's albums and I was shocked! I have Merle Haggard and Willie albums that had belonged to my dad, along with some Bach and Beethoven!
Thank you so much for your wonderful visit, Shady! I'm enjoying another cup of java as I read your so kind and knowledgeabl comment. It is friends like you that silently encourage the likes of me to think outside of the box.
Take care, dear friend. Have a safe and cool Fourth of July!
Hello Suzanne, lovely to catch up with you here and I really enjoyed reading through your post. Your research is wonderful, you have a great skill of making lots of facts and photos come together in, not only informative, but an entertaining way.
ReplyDeleteTo have both parents so musically gifted would have been a thrill both as a young person and, of course, now which is the time in our lives when we can really appreciate all those beautiful memories. I love that your Mum still has her piano... perhaps she has a little play now and then :D) Your Dad's mandolin must be so precious to you.
I remember my Dad playing his harmonica all through my childhood.
Music stirs the soul and is such an important part of life.
All the best to you, hugs xx
Hi Sue. So glad you could stop by for a visit, and enjoy my post from times way back. I suppose as we move on in our lives, we can explore the things that we may or may not have known would be so interesting to us when we were young. I am so happy to find folks that I never knew of, and learn about their lives, and journeys to achieve their dreams.
ReplyDeleteMy brother taught himself to play harmonica as he listened to Mick Jagger play on some of the early Stones' albums. I was so impressed to hear him playing the instrument with Mick! I have picked up the harmonica, and was able to pick out a few tunes...I should really work on it some more, as it wasn't too difficult.
You are right, and, I too believe that music is such an important part of life. I have so many favorite songs, haha! I have to laugh at myself for always saying, "OH, that's my favorite, or one of my favorites." I cannot count the favorite songs in my life, and I love them all.
Thank you for coming by to say hello and, for your kind comments. Have a very nice week ahead. Hugs to you ♥