Robert Johnson sold his soul to the Devil.
He sold it to have his unique style, to have his telling voice, to write his poignant songs.
The legend, mirroring the Faust tale, says that Johnson met a large dark man where highways 61 and 49 cross. The man tuned his guitar and handed it to Johnson, allowing him — in exchange for his soul — to sing the blues.
During the 100th anniversary of Johnson’s early death, Big Head Todd & The Monsters, Hubert Sumlin, Cedric Burnside & Lightin’ Malcolm and John Mooney — all renowned Mississippi blues musicians — will take Memorial Hall to commemorate his music and honor his legacy
“There’s a lure surrounding his life and his death and his alleged deal with the Devil to get the sound that he had,” said Sean McKeithan, director of marketing and communications for Carolina Performing Arts.
“His sound is amazing, haunting, strange — like nothing that’s come before it.”
Blues at the Crossroads has been touring the U.S., celebrating Johnson’s iconic music.
The tour’s stop in Chapel Hill highlights the music-minded community, McKeithan said.
“This is a community where music is very important,” he said. “We produce a lot of our own art, have a thriving music scene — we’re a stop for local and international performances.”
Though not everyone has heard of Johnson, his sound has inevitably leaked into all genres and generations.
“His influence is pretty pervasive in many ways,” McKeithan said. “A lot of people have never heard of Robert Johnson, but hear his influence, his sound, in ways they do not realize.”
McKeithan said he hopes that those who come out to the show will experience not only a celebration of a blues legend, but of the iconic American genre itself.
“Blues music is one of the greatest, most important indigenous American traditions in music,” he said. “The legend of Rob Johnson and his music is what we all owe for what we enjoy today.”
See Blues at the Crossroads Wednesday, Feb. 16 at Memorial Hall. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are still available, ranging in price from $10 to $55.
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