The story of Robert Johnson is one of the most intriguing in all of music history. If you aren’t aware of Robert Johnson, he was an American blues musician born in 1911 in Hazlehurst, Mississippi. He is regarded as one of the best blues guitarists of all time, who did things on the guitar that nobody had ever seen before. His playing style would influence every blues guitarist that came after him, including B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton,…you name them and they were influenced by Johnson.

What makes Robert Johnson so intriguing though, is all the mysteries that surround him. There’s only two known photos of him, no video footage, and only 29 song recordings. There is so much unknown about the great musician, so what is known comes from the stories of people who remember him. And the main story that captures everyone’s imagination is the one that took place at the famous crossroads in Clarksdale, Mississippi. This is also the story that this Netflix Original documentary revolved around.

The story goes that Robert Johnson was just an average guitar player that would make a little money by playing on the street corners for people. He wasn’t that great, but absolutely loved to play. He would follow bigger-named blues musicians around in the juke joints in Mississippi and during their breaks from playing, would grab their guitars to play a few things for the crowd. The crowds often complained for someone to “take that thing away from him so that racket will stop.” The musicians would take their guitars from him and tell Johnson to go on. Finally, Johnson left and told everyone to just wait, that everyone will see one day. According to the stories, nobody saw Robert Johnson for a year until one day he came back to a local juke joint, asked to play his guitar with everyone groaning “here we go again,” and proceeded to play better than anyone had ever heard. He was doing things on the guitar that nobody had ever seen or heard, and things that the local big-time blues musicians couldn’t even think about doing.

“Where did that boy learn to play like that?” everyone wondered. And the biggest question everyone asked was, “How in the world did he get that good, that fast?” Everyone automatically assumed he did something supernatural to gain these never-seen before guitar skills. It was virtually impossible, everyone said, to get that good, that fast. The most popular theory was that he went to the famous crossroads at midnight one night, and made a deal with the devil to obtain his guitar skills in exchange for his soul. Some of the lyrics in his songs even sort of justify that theory.

This documentary goes through the famous “crossroads” theory, along with some other theories that people have as to how he got so good in an impossible amount of time. It features interviews with relatives and people that remember Robert Johnson. It also explains his tragic life, and his failed attempts at a normal life with a family. Outside of the juke joints, he was outcasted by everyone, including family, for playing what they called “the devil’s music,” which was just the blues. At the young age of 27, Robert Johnson would die a tragic death, which everyone credited to the devil collecting his due from the night at the crossroads. His death sparked other theories and thoughts about his life and legacy, which the documentary covers in great detail.

I’ve always knew who Robert Johnson was, but didn’t understand the fascinating complexity of his life until watching this documentary. Since I enjoy guitar music, especially the blues, I thoroughly enjoyed this documentary and learned a lot about one of the greats. But you don’t have to be into the blues to enjoy this. Everyone loves a good story, and this documentary covers one of the most compelling stories in music history. Did something actually take place at the crossroads in Clarksdale, Mississippi? Watch this documentary to see what others think and form your own opinions. His legacy will live on forever through blues music, and only through his music and the stories will people attempt to know who the true Robert Johnson was.

Rating: 4.75/5

**Side Note: If you enjoy the movie Oh Brother, Where Art Thou like I do, Robert Johnson is portrayed by Tommy, who gets picked up in the stolen car by Everett, Pete, and Delmar at the crossroads. When telling them about himself, he tells them about a deal he made with the devil where he was taught to play the guitar really good in exchange for his soul. “Oh son, for that you traded your everlasting soul?” gasped Delmar.

Garett

Documentary Review: Devil At the Crossroads