Robert Johnson: Old School Blues

By GRAHAM REID

(Herald rating: * * * *)


The black guitarist at the crossroads in the Bubba Sparxxx O Brother Where Art Thou?-styled video for Deliverance is meant to be Johnson, one of the most spooky, haunted and influential acoustic blues players.

Legend has it he sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads and was poisoned by a jealous rival in 1938.

He only recorded a couple of dozen songs but they are the foundations of the blues and have been covered by Eric Clapton and the Stones, and you can guess Jack White Stripe knows every nuance of them. P-Diddy is tipped to play him in a bio-pic.

This excellent double disc gathers most of Johnson's songs and some alternate takes along with a helpful introductory essay but gets extra big-ups for the other disc of period blues (Bukka White, Bessie Smith, Blind Willie McTell, Furry Lewis and many more) which put Johnson's still thrilling and dark music in context.

Label: Metro