When it comes to "the blues," you need to have experienced the blues to truly play them. Robert Johnson had the blues in abundance. His story is one of heartache and despair, intertwined with the history of slavery, a country disillusioned by its past, and the foreshadowing of future challenges. It's the tragic foundation of the infamous 27 Club, the tumultuous journey of talent and its acquisition, but it's also the cornerstone of Rock & Roll and modern music. Most notably, it's a story enveloped in mystery and intrigue.

Robert Johnson, born in 1911 in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, came from a family of sharecroppers. Though slavery had been abolished, his family still faced the harsh realities of systemic oppression, trapped in a cycle of grueling labor for meager pay. His father, Noah Johnson, relocated the family to the Delta to escape a lynch mob.

From an early age, Robert aspired to rise above the life of a field hand. While he was expected to work in the fields, he spent his time playing the guitar and singing songs that echoed the bitterness of oppression. It's said that his lack of interest in farm work may have led to abuse.

Though the exact time when Johnson began performing in juke joints is unclear, he temporarily set aside his musical pursuits when he married Virginia Travis. When she was eight months pregnant, she returned to her family home to give birth. Johnson stayed behind to work, but as the birth approached, he decided to join his wife, performing at juke joints along the way for extra money. Tragically, upon arriving at her family home, he discovered that both his wife and baby had died in childbirth and had already been buried.

This heart-wrenching loss fueled his dedication to music, driving his ambition to become a star. He found solace and a second home in bars and juke joints, where his legend began to grow.

The Man and the Mystery
Robert Johnson's life was marked by tragedy, hardship, and rejection, culminating in his untimely death at just 27 years old. For years after his death, details of his brief life and even briefer music career were largely passed down through word of mouth. Johnson recorded only 29 songs, which weren't widely released until the blues revival of the late 1950s. Only two known photos of him exist, and no video footage—his death certificate wasn't discovered until 1967. Johnson's enigmatic life has fascinated researchers and music historians alike.

Musicians have long marveled at how Johnson managed to produce the sound of a full band with an old six-string guitar that he modified to function as a seven-string. Johnson’s distinctive guitar techniques and emotive vocal style brought something entirely new to the music world. His transformation from being considered "noisy at best" to becoming a foundational figure in modern blues after a mysterious one-year disappearance only deepened the intrigue surrounding him.

Following the death of his wife and baby, Johnson frequented juke joints, emulating his idols Son House and Willie Brown. He would take the stage after their sets, but his playing was rudimentary at best and often irritated the audience.

Then, Johnson vanished for nearly 18 months. When he reappeared at a juke joint in Banks, Mississippi, where Son House and Willie Brown were performing, he astonished everyone. This time, his guitar didn't just make noise, it sang, leading other musicians to wonder what he had done, and at what cost, to achieve such rapid improvement. Johnson's development as a musician, especially his reputed transformation after a mysterious absence, make his transformation seem mysterious. His varied experiences, ranging from personal grief to intense musical practice, coalesce into a distinct musical style that had a profound impact on the blues genre.

ohnson’s ability to integrate these experiences into his music illustrates the Whiteheadian notion of becoming, where each moment is a culmination of past events and a transition to new potentialities.