Robert Johnson: Lost and Found

I bought this a christmas present for my mum. She said she loves it. No very helpful to you guys though..

Robert Johnson might be the most famous of all country bluesman. But we actually know very little about the man himself and what we think we know (the selling his soul at the crossroads story and forever being demon haunted)was a late addition to the legend. Pearson and McCulloch peel back the layers of what commentators have said about Johnson to reveal what we can really know about him--and it is not very much. They then tackle the literature on Johnson and show how a legend is created through wishful thinking, academic desire, and faulty deconstruction of lyrics. This is a wonderfully written, intelligent book that exposes the flaws of some methods of interpreting entertainers and the danger of interpreting them outside of the artist's culture. Johnson emerges as a human not such much chased by demons, but who chases women and whiskey too much. A fantastic study that should serve as both a model and a warning for all who write about entertainers.

This is a very interesting look at the 'myth' of Robert Johnson. The authors put everything in perspective in a well researched, informative way....bottom line...Robert Johnson was a gifted musician, a product of his time (like any other great artist).... a wonderful Blues Guitarist/Singer.Very well written! I bought a 'used' copy and it is in pristine condition.Bruce

First, I should state my qualifications and prejudices. I am writing biographies of Robert Johnson's stepson Robert Lockwood Jr. and his best friend Alex "Rice' Miller AKA Sonny Boy Williamson II and I have done over 300 hours of original oral research interviews and many more hours of library research including collecting nearly every blues magazine and relevant liner notes on records from many countries to find the source interviews of many misunderstandings about the artists. Barrie Lee Pearson told me that Sonny Boy was the single blues musician mentioned more often in other blues musicians oral histories. So my expectations for this book were high and my first hand knowledge of the resources available for new insight into this subject were extensive. I could have written this book from my research.Therein lies the rub. While a new Robert Johnson book was never on my agenda, I was anxious to read this book.Sadly, this book never seeks to add to the original research on Robert Johnson that would have been available simply by asking the many researchers. It is largely a rehash of published resources. There is little evidence that these authors ever bothered to visit the Delta or talk to the many still living and very credible sources. They are suspect in the text of claims that were easilly researched favoring the legend over the reality. Older Delta residents are amazingly accurate reporters and when their stories are coordinated by a researcher their rememberences dovetail in great detail. This is not a recommended addition to the Robert Johnson legend or history. I was heartbroken to see such a minor volume be published and possibly preclude the publications of a substantive volume. This is the history of the soundtrack of the Baby Boom generations and as such requires greater respect. Visit [...] for more information. Fessor Mojo AKA William E. Donoghue Host, [...]