Robert Johnson was born in Hazlehurst Mississipi to Julia Major Dodds and Noah Johnson.
Julia's husband Charles Dodds had had a dispute with white land owners and was forced by a mob to leave Hazlehurst. After around two years Robert was sent to live in Memphis with Julia's husband who had changed his name to Charles Spencer.
Circa 1919 Robert rejoined his mother in the delta area near Robinsonville. After school Robert married 16 year old Virginia Travis in Feb 29. Virginia died in childbirth shortly after, surviving relatives of Virginia said that this was a divine punishment for his decision to sing secular music.
Around this time, Son House (a fantastic and world renowned blues musician) moved to Robinsonville to be close to his musical partner Willie Brown. House remembered Johnson as a boy and recalled he was embarrassingly bad on the guitar.
Not long after this, Johnson left for Martinsville close to his birthplace in Hazlehurst possibly in search of his natural father. The next time Johnson appeared in Robinsonville it seemed he has somehow acquired miraculous guitar playing skills and techniques that people had never seen or heard before. It is said this is because Robert Johnson had sold his soul to satan at one of two possible crossroads I have narrowed down from many. (lots of people say it was at a lot of different crossroads, I have narrowed it down by reading where the most likely people to know have said.).
While living in Martinsville, Johnson fathered a child with Vergie Smith. He also married Caletta Craft in May 1931, in 32 they moved to Clarkside in the Delta. Here Caletta died in childbirth and Johnson left to pursue his career as a walking (travelling) musician.
From 1932 until his death on Aug 16 1938, Johnson moved from town to town between cities like Memphis and Helena and all the surrounding areas in Tennessee and Arkansas, sometimes travelling even further to places like Chicago, Texas and New York.
He recorded 29 songs between 1936-37 for the American Record Corporation, which released 11 78rpm records on their Vocalian Label, and one after his death.
He is known as the King of Delta Blues and his music has inspired and continues to inspire musician and blues fans today, some notable musicians that sing the praises of Johnson and also recorded some of his songs are Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton and the Allman Brothers.
Johnson died on Aug 16 in 1938 making him the third member of the 27 club after Alexandre Levy and Louis Chauvin. Although the cause of his death is unknown, as is the location of his true grave, it is speculated that Johnson was flirting with a married woman at a local dance whilst staying with friends near Greenwood, Mississippi. One opinion is that Johnson was offered a Poisoned bottle of whiskey by the woman's husband, which he accepted, drank.. and fell ill dying three days later.
Another opinion is that the poison expected to have been used would of killed him much sooner than he died.. and on his death certificate it is written that he may have died of Syphilis.
This knowledge is a mixture of mostly, things I already knew having being interested with Johnson for a few years.. and information from the RobertJohnson foundation website.
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