Back to the Crossroads: The Roots of Robert Johnson

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Release date: 2004-01-20

Tracks: Disc 0:

Police Station Blues - Petetie Wheatstraw
Old Original Kokomo Blues - Kokomo Arnold
Cruel Hearted Woman - Bumble Bee Slim
Roll And Tumble Blues - Hambone Willie Newbern
Life Saver Blues - Lonnie Johnson
Sitting On Top Of The World - Mississippi Sheiks
Hittin' The Bottle Stomp - Mississippi Jook Band
Devil Got My Woman - Skip James
My Black Mama, Pt.1 - Son House
Georgia Bound - Blind Blake
When The Sun Goes Down - Leroy Carr
Sissy Man Blues - Kokomo Arnold
Your Enemy Cannot Harm You - Rev. E.W. Clayborn
Lead Pencil Blues - Johnny Temple
Blues - Skip James
Dry Southern Blues - Blind Lemon Jefferson
Kokomo Blues - Scrapper Blackwell
Things 'Bout Coming My Way - Tampa Red
King Of Spades - Pettie Wheatstraw
Oh Red - Harlem Hamfats
You're Gonna Need Somebody When You Die - Charley Patton
Milk Cow Blues - Kokomo Arnold
Preachin' The Blues - Son House

An Extraordinary Collection of Robert Johnson Influences 2004-12-28 This CD is meant as a companion piece to the book "Escaping the Delta: Robert Johnson and the Invention of the Blues" written by Elijah Wald.

The book is a scholarly investigation into the various musical, cultural, and business/economic influences that comprised the world in which Robert Johnson (RJ) created his music and his landmark recordings.

Elijah Wald's research suggests RJ was not the tortured artist recluse who single-handedly invented the Delta Blues. Rather, Wald suggests - with full respect for the talent and genious of the man - Robert Johnson was a talented and skilled entertainer of the time who listened to and mastered many of the diverse contemporary music styles of his time - and then he created his own songs echoing these popular styles. The legacy this single artist provided in a very short number of years is truly amazing.

One listen to this CD and Elijah's Wald premise is clarified. The similarities of music (and occasional sharing of lyrics - not uncommon for the time or genre) is obvious, and each song on this CD can easily be related to one of Robert Johnson's masterworks created several years later. This truly is a fabulous collection of Robert Johnson influences and by itself is a very listenable compilation of popular music contemporary to Robert Johnson.

To the casual fan of Robert Johnson's music, this CD is a great addition to your collection, as it provides additional tracks of music quite similar to the beloved Johnson songs. To the true acoustic Blues enthusiast, the CD coupled with the book provides a wonderful combination of insite to the music of the time.

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