Robert Johnson: Voodoo, Delta Blues, Cursing God, and a Crossroads

DISGRACELAND

Robert Johnson didn’t just play the blues. He embodied them. He drank and womanized his way through the South, New York, and Chicago in the 1930s, until he finally met the devil at the crossroads for a little trade. So the legend goes, anyway. With the same soul he supposedly sold to the devil, Robert Johnson belted lightning blues that captured trouble in 12 bars. But the trouble he touted would eventually trickle into his own life, one bottle of poison at a time.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners and includes descriptions of racial violence and traumatic childbirth.

This episode was originally released on Nov. 1, 2022.

To view the full list of contributors, see the show notes at www.disgracelandpod.com.

Visit www.disgracelandpod.com/merch to see the latest Disgraceland merch and check out the new limited edition Halloween merchandise!

To listen to Disgraceland ad free and get access to a monthly exclusive episode, weekly bonus content and more, become a Disgraceland All Access member at disgracelandpod.com/membership.

Sign up for our newsletter and get the inside dirt on events, merch and other awesomeness - GET THE NEWSLETTER

Follow Jake and DISGRACELAND:

Instagram

YouTube

X (formerly Twitter)

Facebook Fan Group

TikTok

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices