I was out in my Jeep today, running errands, when I head the song “Crossroads” by Cream on the radio. I hadn’t heard it in a while and listening to it reminded me what a great bluesy rock song this was. You may be wondering why a band like Cream would sing about the crossroads. Heck, you may not even know what they mean by the crossroads. Well, let me tell you…
“Crossroads” was actually written by bluesman Robert Johnson, although he called it “Cross Road Blues.” Cream took the lyrics from that song and combined it with some lines from another Johnson song, “Traveling Riverside Blues.” If you have never heard of Robert Johnson, it is understandable. After all, this delta blues musician died when he was only 27. There are only two known photographs of him. And, while he has influenced countless bands and artists (Led Zepplin, The White Stripes, Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, and Bob Dylan to name a few) and ranked #5 on the Rolling Stone’s list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time, he made relatively very few recordings.
He had two recording sessions, in 1936 and 1937, which yielded 29 songs total (42 recordings including outtakes and duplicates). By 1938, Robert was dead. No one really knows what killed him (although many think he was poisoned by a jealous husband). He only had a two-year recording career, but today, people still love and admire his music.
Another thing that may help make Robert memorable is the legend he left behind. In “Cross Road Blues,” Robert sang “I went to the crossroads, fell down on my knees./I went to the crossroads, fell down on my knees./I asked the Lord above, have mercy, save poor Bob if you please./Uumb, standing at the crossroads I tried to flag a ride./Standing at the crossroads I tried to flag a ride./Ain’t nobody seem to know me, everybody pass me by.” The myth behind Robert Johnson, his remarkable blues recordings, and long-living legacy is that he went to the crossroads and sold his soul to the Devil in order to become the greatest blues man ever. In fact, African folklore talks about selling your soul at the crossroads.
Some people have said he wasn’t a very good guitarist at first, then suddenly he was great, which fed into the soul selling legend. Now of course, no one know if Robert really sold his soul or not, but it certainly makes for a good story. In fact, there was a major motion picture loosely based on this story. Crossroads, made in 1986 and starring Ralph Macchio, followed an elderly bluesman named Willie Brown as he travels back to Mississippi to the crossroads to regain his soul. Ralph Macchio goes along on the trip and eventually ends up playing one of the Devil’s minions (played by 80s guitar great Steve Vai) in a guitar duel for Brown’s soul. I won’t tell you who wins – you’ll have to rent the movie for yourself.
If you have never heard any of Robert Johnson’s songs, check them out on iTunes. If you think you don’t like the blues, you will after hearing some of these classic songs.