Traveling to the Holy Ground of the Delta Blues

Rock and roll, it has often been said, is just the blues sped up. You can’t really argue with that statement. Rock, in all its diverse glory, owes its existence to the blues. After all, if it weren’t for the blues, the 12-bar chord progressions, the rhythm of drum and guitar, the chanting songs that re-laid the stories and the history of a people, we might all be grooving to a modern day minuet.

An ambitious 30 million dollar project currently in the planning stages in Clarksdale, Mississippi intends to pay tribute to the legends and icons who created the most influential brand of music of the modern western world.

Born of hardship, slavery, sweat, and tears, the blues can trace its origins to the Delta and such iconic Mississippi towns as Tunica, Helena, and of course Clarksdale. Arguably the birthplace of the blues, Clarksdale is the home of blues icons Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson, and Ike Turner. This town is where Bessie Smith, the Grande Dame of the blues, met her untimely demise in what is now the Riverside Hotel. And of course, Clarksdale is of the sight of one of the most enduring stories in blues Lore—that of the immortally devilish Robert Johnson and the legend of the Crossroads.

“When Robert Johnson got through playing, all our mouths was open. He sold his soul to the devil to get to play like that.”—Son House

RJ, as he was often called, is said to have met the Devil at the crossroads of highways 61 and 49 and sold him his soul to be the greatest bluesman of all time. This fantastic story of a young man who became larger than the too short life he lived has been studied, revered, imitated, and celebrated in story, song, and even festivals.

Whether there is any truth to this greatest of all blues myths is somewhat inconsequential. For such a brief career and life (RJ recorded only 29 songs and died at the age of 27) there is no denying the influence Robert Johnson had on not only the blues but modern music to this day.

Article Author: Nathalie Vanderheyden

Nathalie Vanderheyden is a fan of everything creative. She's an independent writer and blogger trying to find her voice in a loud world. She lives in "the Hammer" with her family and dog.

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