Did Robert Johnson invent the blues?

Devil legend. According to legend, as a young man living on a plantation in rural Mississippi, Johnson had a tremendous desire to become a great blues musician. In exchange for his soul, Johnson was able to create the blues for which he became famous.

Who is the father of blues guitar?

William Christopher Handy
Today’s blog celebrates the career of W.C. Handy. Born in Florence, Alabama on November 16, 1873, William Christopher Handy became interested in music at an early age.

Who sold their soul to play the blues?

Robert Johnson
Robert Johnson stands at the crossroads of American music, much as it is rumored that he once stood at a Mississippi crossroads and sold his soul to the devil in exchange for his unique musical gifts.

What did Robert Johnson contribute to the blues?

Robert Johnson, (born c. 1911, Hazlehurst, Mississippi, U.S.—died August 16, 1938, near Greenwood, Mississippi), American blues composer, guitarist, and singer whose eerie falsetto singing voice and masterful rhythmic slide guitar influenced both his contemporaries and many later blues and rock musicians.

Did Robert Johnson use a pick?

Johnson played his Gibson L-1 using a thumb pick and occasionally used a slide. His recordings were largely unknown until they were rereleased in 1961. Another key component of Johnson’s style was his use of a slide.

What decade were classic blues singers popular?

1920s
Classic female blues was an early form of blues music, popular in the 1920s. An amalgam of traditional folk blues and urban theater music, the style is also known as vaudeville blues. Classic blues were performed by female singers accompanied by pianists or small jazz ensembles and were the first blues to be recorded.

Who birthed the blues?

The blues has deep roots in American history, particularly African-American history. The blues originated on Southern plantations in the 19th Century. Its inventors were slaves, ex-slaves and the descendants of slaves—African-American sharecroppers who sang as they toiled in the cotton and vegetable fields.

How much is Robert Johnson worth?

In 2001, Johnson became a billionaire after selling the station to Viacom for $3 billion, which catapulted his net worth to an estimated $1.3 billion.

What is the best guitar tuning for Blues?

Open D is another major chord tuning and another popular choice among Delta blues guitarists. This tuning was also a favorite of Bob Dylan, who used it to great effect in songs like “Oxford Town” and “A Simple Twist of Fate.” Although, since his capo was placed on the second fret in “Fate,” it’s technically in Open E.

Did Robert Johnson use open tuning?

Johnson employed open G tuning (low to high, D G D G B D: see FIGURE 3) for tunes such as Crossroad Blues, Walkin’ Blues and Come on in My Kitchen. He utilized specific chord voicings designed to work with open tunings, as shown in FIGURE 4, akin to Stones in My Passway.

Who was the best female blues singer?

1 Bessie Smith She is known as “The Empress of the Blues” and was the most popular female blues singer of the 1920s and 1930s. Columbia Records started a “race records” series and signed Bessie in 1923.

Who was one of the famous female early blues singers?

Gertrude “Ma” Rainey (1886–1939), known as “The Mother of the Blues”, is credited as the first to perform the blues on stage as popular entertainment when she began incorporating blues into her act of show songs and comedy around 1902.

What kind of guitar does Robert Johnson play?

This Song contains the only guitar solo Robert Johnson ever recorded. I very good example for his amazing talent. He plays rhythm and lead guitar on one instrument and at the same time. Here are the both takes remains to that day. Loading…

When did Robert Johnson start playing the Blues?

One of the earliest accounts of Johnson as a musician comes from Delta blues pioneer Son House, who first encountered the young artist around 1930 in Robbinsville, Mississippi. House recalled that Johnson “blew a harmonica and he was pretty good with that, but he wanted to play guitar.”

What kind of songs did Robert Johnson write?

The acclaim for Johnson’s work is based on the 29 songs that he wrote and recorded in Dallas and San Antonio from 1936 to 1937. These include “I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom” and “Sweet Home Chicago,” which has become a blues standard. His songs have been recorded by Muddy Waters, Elmore James, the Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton.

Why did Robert Johnson Sing Me and the Devil Blues?

It’s a story made more relevant, in the construction of the Robert Johnson myth, when coupled with Johnson’s frequent references to the Devil. In his songs including, ‘Me And The Devil Blues’, in which he sings, “Me and the Devil, was walkin’ side by side”.