Talk:Robert Johnson (musician)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have new messages (last change).
This article is part of WikiProject Guitarists, a group dedicated to improving Wikipedia's coverage of topics related to guitarists. If you would like to participate, you can edit the article attached to this page, or visit the project page, where you can join the project and/or contribute to the discussion.
B This article has been rated as B-Class on the quality scale.
Other languages WikiProject Echo has identified Robert Johnson (musician) as a foreign language featured article. You may be able to improve this article with information from the German language Wikipedia.
State Flag of Mississippi

This article is part of WikiProject Mississippi, a WikiProject related to the U.S. state of Mississippi.

Contents

[edit] Tommy Johnson

"didn't start recording until three years before his death". How is that even possible? You mean his music wasn't widely released until after his death?

Um: "His contemporary Tommy Johnson, by contrast, actually claimed to have sold his soul to the Devil"? Isn't his "contemporary" Tommy Johnson a fictional character in the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou, based on Robert Johnson? AJD 22:25, 30 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Yes and no. The Coen Brothers created a character named Tommy Johnson for O Brother Where Art Thou, and he was based on Robert Johnson, but at the time they were unaware that there was another bluesman of that era named Tommy Johnson, who had actually and frequently claimed to have sold his soul to the devil. msclguru 14:33, 23 Nov 2004 (UTC)

Could you point me to some documentation for this? I don't mean this as a criticism of you personally, but it seems like an unbelievable claim. AJD 06:15, 24 Nov 2004 (UTC)

I don't understand...which part do you want documentation on? That there was a real-life bluesman named Tommy Johnson, or that the Coens had never heard of him when they made the film? msclguru 11:16, 24 Nov 2004 (UTC)

That the real-life Tommy Johnson fits this description. And that the Coens had never heard of him, too, would be pretty cool, I guess. AJD 03:31, 25 Nov 2004 (UTC)

From the All Music Guide ([1]):

"...Then there's the crossroads story. Yes, years before the deal with the Devil at a deserted Delta crossroad was being used as an explanation of the other-worldly abilities of young Robert Johnson, the story was being told repeatedly about Tommy, often by the man himself to reinforce his abilities to doubting audiences."

I also recommend Escaping the Delta: Robert Johnson and the Invention of the Blues [2] by Elijah Wald. It hypothesizes (as I remember) that the origin of the Robert-Johnson-sold-his-soul myth, may have been as simple as a historian's or interviewee's confusion of Robert Johnson with Tommy. msclguru 11:15, 29 Nov 2004 (UTC)

I'm interested in the basis for saying that the Coen Brothers created a character named Tommy Johnson based on Robert Johnson, while unaware that there was a bluesman named Tommy Johnson. It seems unlikely that they just happened to choose the name Tommy and later discovered there was a Tommy Johnson who exactly fitted the character. Nurg 10:08, 6 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Robert Johnson wasnt really a hugely popular artist until the 60s. I think a lot of the article exagerates his influence on the blues.

He wasn't popular among white audiences until the 60s; however, he traveled in the same circles as many other influential blues musicians and was known to them.

By the way, Wikipedia has a separate article on Tommy Johnson: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Johnson Pretty good for someone who supposedly doesn't exist as you claim. And he fits the description (regarding the deal at the crossroads):

Tommy Johnson (1896 – November 1, 1956) was a very influential blues musician. He was born in Terry, Mississippi, and lived most of his life in Crystal Springs, Mississippi. He polished his skill playing in Mississippi Delta and was fond of telling how he had sold his soul to the devil in order to have a mastery of blues guitar. This story closely resembles the same legend of Robert Johnson; however Robert Johnson was never known to tell this story, and was most likely a rumor started by Son House in the 1960's, long after both men were dead.

Also: http://www.cr.nps.gov/delta/blues/people/tommy_johnson.htm The National Park Service lists him in their blues directory of the lower Mississippi Valley.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000000J25?v=glance You can buy his music on Amazon.com (pretty good for such an unbelievable character lol)

http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9002884?tocId=9002884 Encyclopedia Britannica must've made him up too.

[edit] Keith Richards

The KR story is true; the source is the note Well, This Is It, by Keith Richards himself, included in the liner notes for Robert Johnson: The Complete Recordings, pp. 21. Noel (talk) 03:02, 28 May 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Crossroads

Shouldn't it be mentioned that it's actually a cover of Cross Road Blues?

The song Crossroads by the band Cream (Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker) is about when Johnson supposedly sold his soul to the Devil at the crossroads.

It gives the impression that the lyrics are an original piece by Clapton, when they were actually written by Johnson.

It's a good article though. Toffile 20:21, 29 July 2005 (UTC)

The article has been clarified. --Blainster 22:17, 30 July 2005 (UTC)
Thank you. Toffile 21:13, 31 July 2005 (UTC)

youre welcome

[edit] Date of birth

To better reflect the text of the article, I changed his birth date so it says 1909/1912. If this is handled some other way in the future, please also update Johnson's entry at List of blues musicians Theshibboleth 18:27, 23 October 2005 (UTC)

The phrase "even though he lived to be only 27" is now incorrect. I've changed it to "even though he didn't live to see his thirtieth birthday". Soobrickay 23:57, 6 January 2006 (UTC)

Regarding the section "The song "Crossroads" by British blues rock/psychedelic band Cream is a cover version of Johnson's "Cross Road Blues", about the legend of Johnson selling his soul to the Devil at the crossroads, although Johnson's original lyrics ("Standin' at the crossroads, tried to flag a ride") suggest he was merely hitchhiking rather than signing away his soul to Lucifer in exchange for supernatural guitar technique." This gives the wrong impression, there is no evidence that Cream's song was about the legend of Johnson selling his sole. The Cream's version was a cover and the lyrics to the cream song are the same as Johnson's original lyrics.

[edit] Sweet Home Chicago

The two listed theories for the lyric "Back to the land of California, to my sweet home Chicago," in the song "Sweet Home Chicago," while certainly reasonable, are not the only thoughts many people have behind this seemingly geographic error. It is possible that Robert Johnson was speaking to someone, trying to convince them by listing promising destinations that they could visit after they left their current area. I personally think of the lyric as a list of places they could go. I'm not going to edit anything; I'm just throwing this idea out there for discussion. LeeR 20:00, 7 January 2006 (UTC)

Someone posted a note on Amazon.com remarking that Johnson had a brother stationed at the naval base in Port Chicago, California. It would be handy if someone could verify this.

Can't verify that, but can offer another explanation. Perhaps Johnson was not at all confused about the location of Chicago. Perhaps he knew Chicago, IL, was not in California. Instead, maybe he was comparing the promised land of California to the promised land of Chicago. California has long held mythical promise in the American pysche, and among delta blacks during the period of the "great migration," Chicago came to represent a similar promise. Like gold in California, a man could go to Chicago and get rich.

There is a major street in Chicago called California Avenue, that runs from NW Chicago to SW Chicago. Perhaps in Johnson's day, somewhere on California Avenue there were Blues clubs and/or recording studios that make that street memorable to a musician. --rogerd 21:03, 3 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Artists Who Have Covered Robert Johnson

That section looked like a bad idea since day 1, as Robert Johnson is one of the most covered artists of all time and most bluesmen and hundreds of rock bands have recorded his songs. The work on building that lists seems futile, and I'm in favor of removing the section (but I'd let it run for a while before removing, so that the "the article is becoming too long" argument becomes obvious. If anyone is favorable to keeping the list, no matter to what size it grows to, speak up. Fbergo 15:45, 11 January 2006 (UTC)

You are correct—this section has become a laundry list including artists who have recorded even one of his songs. I am changing the title to Artists influenced by Johnson and limiting the list to those who have at least four of his songs. --Blainster 20:32, 16 February 2006 (UTC)
Good luck, these lists take on a life of their own. I prefer when relevant info like this is incorporated into prose. BTW, I added a link to Clapton's Johson album and shortened his list to just those songs (I think) he previously recorded. Alcuin 16:45, 20 April 2006 (UTC)


[edit] Curse of the Crossroads

What about the "Curse of the Crossroads," that major bands who cover his songs all have members die? Lynyrd Skynyrd and their plane crash, the Alman Brothers and the deaths of Duane Allman and Berry Oakley, the Rolling Stones where Brian Jones drowned, and Stevie Ray Vaughan's fatal helicopter crash. I'm not saying I believe in curses literally, but for trivial purposes it is quite fascinating. And yes, I realize that since Johnson is one of the most covered artists that many people have played his material, and that when a famous musician dies there is a good chance he was one of those people who played Johnson covers. Still...

[edit] The Devil and Robert Johnson

about the legend of Johnson selling his soul to the Devil at the crossroads, although Johnson's original lyrics ("Standin' at the crossroads, tried to flag a ride") suggest he was merely hitchhiking rather than signing away his soul to Lucifer in exchange for supernatural guitar technique.

Yeah, uh-huh, and love is just a biochemical reaction in your hypothalamus. This bit of the article strikes me as a bit pollyanna-ish, and/or disingenuous, and also NPOV. The blues is the Devil's gospel, as any gospel singer will tell you, and not a few bluesmen. Where's the literary authority who has pronounced that Johnson's original lyrics "suggest" a purely banal explanation for something so clearly intrinsic of the legend and the mystique of the story of "Johnson at the Crossroads". To me, as a songwriter and musician, "trying to flag a ride" is as much clearly a summoning of the power of music/song; waiting for a wind, as others have put it. What kind of driver it is that picks you up is part of the risk, and that's what the blues is about; extending your soul into the darkness and hoping it doesn't get swallowed in the process. Gospel singers reach for the light; bluesmen reach into the dark insides of their soul; and in there, if anywhere, is where the Devil is to be found, and one's soul may be bartered for powers greater than the conscious mind would dare wager; it is the unconscious mind that speaks forth in music. The opening line of The Iliad is a similar summoning to Johnson's line - Homer calls on the goddess to let him sing of anger - and so it goes through thousands of years of poetry and song. Try reading the prologue to Randall Jarrell's translation of Goethe's Faust and you'll find much the same stuff; all dismissable by the nuts-and-bolts latter-day positivist/mechanist view of the world which seeks to do away with all mystery, all magic, all danger and all wonder; how BORING and sad it is that such people's views have taken over the experience of the world. Dismissing the Crossroads legend as, "well, it appears that Johnson was only just hitchhiking" is so utterly mundane a judgement - and without citation - that either it's original research (whose?) - or just a cheap sell-out to people's need to make everything safe and understandable. Johnson's not the only one with these kind of experiences; Hound Dog's many comments about his addiction and pending death are full of it, and the theme of barterdom, damnation, and redemption is found throughout blues and blues-derived lyrics and music ever since Johnson's day. "Oh, he was just hitching a ride". Yeah, and Satchmo was just whistling Dixie.....Skookum1 17:17, 11 April 2006 (UTC)

You're right that we should be prepared to look beyond the surface when interpreting any lyrics, particularly those strongly rooted in particular cultures, as the early blues undoubtedly was. So far in these discussions, there's a bit of a fixation on Cross Road Blues. Devilish imagery can also be found in Hell Hound On My Trail and Me and the Devil Blues. In the latter, the Devil seems to provoke Johnson to attack a woman. The Devil is definitely a real presence in these songs. However, they cannot be used to support the specific myths about Johnson's relationship with the Devil. It is important to distinguish between Johnson understanding of the Devil's place in the world, and the assumptions we make based on the stories we have heard. --Lamename Cheesestring Rodriguez 20:12, 27 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Discography

It strikes me as strange to have a discography for a guy who only recorded 42 tracks. The '61 album is notable, because this is the one that Clapton and Keith Richards would have had access to, but the rest are merely countless repackagings of the same material, most of which are probably out of print. I think the section should be zapped. Alcuin 15:00, 21 April 2006 (UTC)

I tend to agree with you. King of the Delta Blues Singers already has its own article, and the only other one of note is the Columbia (now Sony/CBS) Complete Recordings. They can both be listed elsewhere in the article. I will go ahead and implement your suggestion. --Blainster 17:59, 21 April 2006 (UTC)
Thanks, good job. My laziness paid off... :) Alcuin 05:20, 22 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Glenn Danzig

Danzig mentioned Johnson in an interview for the February 2005 issue of Steppin' Out Magazine, when he was asked "what's going on with you possibly recording with Jerry Cantrell?" he answered: "Just trying to work out our schedules and make it happen. We're gonna do a dark southern blues kind of record. And when I say southern I don't mean like Lynyrd Skynyrd, I mean like Robert Johnson. A creepy old blues record." LIllIi 23:27, 2 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] demon in the photo

has anyone seen the grim reaper in the robert johnson photo, to the right of him??? they've cut it out on this bluey photo, have a look around for another photo that hasnt been cut! Paul from south staffordshire.

Did a google image search, and sure enough, in the texture of the wall over Johnson's left shoulder I see a creepy looking face. Of course, this is the kind of stuff you only see if you look for it, but fun nonetheless. Where'd you hear about it? Should a picture with the reaper be in the article? Alcuin 16:10, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
Wait, on second thought, I'm not sure we're seeing the same thing. I see a face, tilted slightly to the right that kinda looks like Neil Young circa 1975. The forhead of this face also looks like the hood of a cloak, which would be part of the reaper that I think you see. Alcuin 16:16, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

The demon is not "behind" him, because "he is" the demon himself. I'd bettere say he's half- a demon. Just try to cover half his face: just on one side he's devil!

[edit] Sonny Boy or Honeyboy

There seems to be some division of opinion over whether Sonny Boy Williamson or Honeyboy Edwards was with Johnson the night he was poisoned. Charles Murray in Blues on CD says Johnson was playing with Honeyboy that night. The booklet that comes with the Complete Recordings CDs says that they were both there, but Honeyboy did not show up 'til after 10:30 pm, when Sonny Boy had left. According to this version it was Sonny Boy who had knocked the first bottle of poisoned whisky from Johnson's hands. --Blainster 04:24, 27 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Influence

The book I mentioned earlier, Escaping the Delta: Robert Johnson and the Invention of the Blues [3] by Elijah Wald, makes a statement that does, indeed, indicate that Johnson's influence on the blues is exaggerated today. He says, and I quote:

"As far as the evolution of black music goes, Robert Johnson was an extremely minor figure, and very little that happened in the decades following his death would have been affected if he had never played a note."

His book has generally been accepted as absolutely correct by musicologists, historians, and even amateur blues enthusiasts. I think it warrants mention here. I will write it in later this week, unless someone gives reasonable objection. -- Msclguru 01:21, 3 July 2006 (UTC)

Done. Msclguru 16:44, 19 July 2006 (UTC)
Nice section, good job. The only thing I would change is to reword the first sentence a bit to make it clear that this is Wald's opinion, not necessarily a fact. So maybe, "According to some, Johnson's major influence..." --Aguerriero (talk) 22:21, 19 July 2006 (UTC)
Please, no "weasel words", always be specific: "According to some According to Elijah Wald, Johnson's major influence..." --Blainster 15:10, 1 August 2006 (UTC)
Agreed, thanks for the correction. --Aguerriero (talk) 15:36, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

While its probably true to say that not much would have been different if Johnson had never played, that doesn't mean he wasn't influential. He loomed large in the minds of the sixties generation of blues rock stars, notably Eric Clapton, The Stones and Bob Dylan. Read Dylan's description of hearing Johnson for the first time in 'Chronicle: Volume One' for a great description of the power of the blues. The point of any of these old country bluesmen (Son House, Tommy Johnson, Charley Patton, Mississippi John Hurt etc.) is that they were the best. They worked within a tradition, so yes they did sound similar, and their individual influence may seem small, but a tradition cannot survive without great exponents Lamename Cheesestring Rodriguez 00:42, 2 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Robert Johnsons Influence On Hendrix

I could not find an article to cite Hendrix's influence but in many live preformances he invokes Johnsons lyrics. Durring his famous live at the BBC sessions he injects Johnsons lyrics into his songs at several points with Johnsons vocal stylings inflected in his voice. Durring "Hey Joe" he adds the Johnson lyric "That's what I'm talkin' 'bout" from Traveling Riverside Blues then again durring "Fire" he invokes Traveling Riverside Blues with the lyrics "You know what I'm talkin' bout? That's what I'm talkin 'bout."

I have no problem with adding Hendrix. I wonder, since arguably most modern blues artists have been influenced by Johnson, if we should form a short list with citations and leave the rest out. Clapton, Hendrix, B.B. King, etc. --Aguerriero (talk) 13:33, 26 October 2006 (UTC)
I agree. --RobHutten 15:28, 26 October 2006 (UTC)
The question of viable, reliable citations is crucial, but otherwise I feel it is a very worthy idea. It would also provide a strong counterpoint to the cited argument elsewhere in the article about Johnson's influence, or otherwise.
Derek R Bullamore 19:16, 26 October 2006 (UTC)
The phrases you've cited ("You know what I'm talkin' bout? That's what I'm talkin 'bout.") are extremely common. The link is not very strong, especially if that's the only evidence you have. Notahippie76 00:33, 28 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Links

The links from song titles mostly border on Easter egg links. For example, the link from "Malted Milk" is about the beverage, not the song. Quite a few of the songs actually merit articles, so they should have links. I suggest that we get rid of most of these Easter egg links (and where they are genuinely needed for explanation of elements of song titles, we add a parenthetical remark. E.g.:

What do others thing about this approach? - Jmabel | Talk 07:09, 15 November 2006 (UTC)

I agree on the couple of examples you've given, however the rest of the links seem to be vaguely useful links either on the songs or terms in them. Most of the terms are easily understood, but if someone didn't, the links would help. I'd change the ones you mentioned, which are a bit daft, but leave the others as they areLamename Cheesestring Rodriguez 00:55, 2 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Requested Page Move Discussion

[edit] Survey

Add * Support or * Oppose followed by a brief explanation, then sign your opinion with ~~~~

Robert Johnson → Robert Johnson (musician) —(Discuss)

Note: Individuals responding to this debate may also be concerned about a related debate on Robert Johnson header tags. TonyTheTiger 19:18, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

  • Support - Too many Robert Johnsons for anyone to be located at the Robert Johnson Page. This would make way to move Robert Johnson (disambiguation) to Robert Johnson. This may be problematic however due to the number of articles linking to the musicians page. TonyTheTiger 19:35, 24 November 2006 (UTC)
    • I should note there is some consideration that should be given to whether the move should be to Robert Johnson (musician) or to Robert Leroy Johnson. TonyTheTiger 18:57, 25 November 2006 (UTC)
  • Oppose Robert Johnson is a very important figure in the history of music, he has influenced countless number including a very large amount of blues musicians and all genre's eminating from the blues genre, which include, rock and R&B as well as many others. Plus a link to the disambiguation page is provided at the top of the page so people looking for another Robert johnson can simply go there for another person. Chappy84 19:59, 24 November 2006 (UTC)
    • I do not contest his importance. You can see I added the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction to his page at the same time I requested this move. I am just saying that due to the number of important people of the same name no one should be located at the unambiguated article name. A dab should be there. TonyTheTiger 21:11, 24 November 2006 (UTC)
  • Oppose. The issue is not how many Robert Johnsons there are, but how likely is it that this "Robert Johnson" is the desired choice in any search for Robert Johnson. The popularity of the blues musician makes the present title the best one. --Blainster 20:57, 24 November 2006 (UTC)
    • I think your argument actually would lead one to think that it is less likely than not that someone looking for someeone by the name Robert Johnson is actually looking for the one currently located on the page. I think you are being parochial about the page. He may be the most popular of all the people of this name and still not deserve to be located at this address if more often than not someone entering Robert Johnson is looking for someone else. Suppose 30% of all Robert Johnson seekers are seeking the musician and 70% they are seeking one of the numerous other Robert Johnsons. Then the page should be moved IMO. TonyTheTiger 21:11, 24 November 2006 (UTC)
  • Support. With such a wide array of people named Robert Johnson, it is impossible to tell which one is being searched for most often at any given time, which is highly likely to change. I would hazard a guess that the article on the congressional candidate (Robert J. Johnson) is currently what people are most often seeking. However, I can't prove that, nor can anyone prove that this article is the one most often sought. Getting to the article about anyone else named Robert Johnson now requires navigating two links: the initial search arrives at this page, the link to the Robert Johnson (disambiguation) page has to be clicked once found (it is difficult to see with the template there about sources), and then the link for the article that was being searched for to start with. If the disambiguation page is renamed, searching for Robert Johnson takes one there, and then only one click is needed to arrive at the article being sought.—Chidom talk  22:03, 24 November 2006 (UTC)
  • Support with the understanding that the person initiating this move fixes the links. --Ars Scriptor (t) (formerly Aguerriero) 04:43, 25 November 2006 (UTC)
    • Currently, there are over 250 links to Robert Johnson. I do not know what standard procedure is but if they suddenly are linked to a dab page it becomes the responsibility of the people editing and using the linking pages to move their links to the proper Robert Johnson (which may or may not be the person currently located at that location). I am willing to coordinate all header tags on the 15 or so pages, but am not willing to fix between 250 and 500 links. TonyTheTiger 19:04, 25 November 2006 (UTC)
      • Aw come on - disambiguating links is fun!  :) It can be done fairly easily using AWB if someone compiles a list of affected articles. I will see if someone at WikiProject Guitarists can do it. --Ars Scriptor (formerly Aguerriero) 18:44, 26 November 2006 (UTC)
Standard procedure is that only double redirects (a redirect page that links to another redirect page) need to be corrected; if this page becomes the redirect page, none of the direct links to it will need to be fixed. See Wikipedia:Redirect#Don't fix links to redirects that aren't broken. One very good reason for this is that often people wikilink names in articles without checking that they're linking to the correct article; for example, the link to Robert Johnson from the Nicholas Ferrar article may or may not more appropriately link to Robert Johnson (composer) of the 17th century, but certainly has nothing to do with the 20th Century musician. Certainly the Robert Johnson linked at List of athletes on Wheaties boxes should be linked to Robert Johnson (American football), not here.—Chidom talk  00:24, 26 November 2006 (UTC)
That standard only applies if "Robert Johnson" is left as a redirect to "Robert Johnson (musician)" - I assume that won't be the case here and so all links need to be altered. -- Beardo 01:25, 30 November 2006 (UTC)
    • I am willing to move all double redirects. However, I think the move may be tricky since both pages exist and it may take some double moves to retain all page histories. If someone knows the proper move procedures so that the number of double redirects remains limited I will need their assistance. TonyTheTiger 22:41, 28 November 2006 (UTC)
  • Support with the understanding that the person making the move ensure that the other Robert Johnson pages show up on the disambiguation page. Steve 18:52, 25 November 2006 (UTC)
  • Support. There would appear to be sufficient interest in other Robert Johnsons to justify this change. Countersubject 15:53, 26 November 2006 (UTC)
  • Support - I have come to this page several times and needed to then go to the disambiguation page to find who I was actually searching for. I strongly support moving this inline with several other common names. otduff (talk/contribs) 03:50, 27 November 2006 (UTC)
  • Support. Yes he is important and famous but there are many other robert johnsons that people would be looking for.
  • Support as per everyone else. I was actually quite suprised that "Robert Johnson" was not a dab page. Natalie 18:16, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Crossroads And the Devil

Can anyone explain to me how cross road blues is about a deal with the devil or anything like that.I've heard the song and i know the lyrics but it still seems about someone just hitchhiking.If anyone could explain that would be great.

[edit] tone

The tone of this article seems a bit too magazine-like. I'm thinking specifically of the section "Death at the Crossroads", and sentences like ". In any case, everyone agrees that music was Johnson's first interest" or "Johnson would establish ties to the local community that would serve him in good stead when he passed through again a month or a year later." I don't feel qualified to rewrite, since writing about musicians is not my forte, but I think a rewrite would make it a bit more encyclopediac.

Also, Lonnie Johnson is referred to as Robert Johnson's namesake, while the bio section says his last name comes from his father, a totally different Johnson. While my dictionary defines namesake as a person or thing with the same name as another, I think many people assume it means that A was name after B. Perhaps another word would suffice. Natalie 18:21, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] The page move

Page has been moved to Robert Johnson (Musician), but I think it's supposed to be lower case m. Natalie 17:21, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

This is now fixed, but the ones who promoted the move are now obligated to fix the (hundreds?) of Robert Johnson links that are now broken because they go to the disambiguation page. --Blainster 19:25, 29 November 2006 (UTC)
Isn't there a script or bot that can do this, or at least some of it? I don't know anything about it and probably can't run it, since I'm on a Mac, but it certainly would cut down on the work... Natalie 22:23, 29 November 2006 (UTC)
A bot can't do it all, because we really need to hand-check to make sure that each really refers to this Robert Johnson. - Jmabel | Talk 01:49, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] slow down, please

Greetings to all those of you who've been on this talk page for a while. Please spare a thought for those of us who have just arrived. The general tone of this page - as experienced by a newcomer - is quite aggressive. I suppose I can understand folks getting het up about biographies of politicians, but here we're talking about a musician, who as far as I know, was not especially polemic in his own lifetime, never mind later.

While there are several things in the article that could be expressed better, something which is definitely true of just about every article on wiki, I would just like to make two practical points: as the general practice here on wiki is for everyone to help out when it comes to tidying up articles, adding links, etc., I don't see why we can't just continue doing the same. Most of the time I spend on wikipedia is doing just that, and it doesn't bother me too much. Secondly, couldn't we just have a specific page - linked - for certain songs, such as Cross Roads, which have been covered by various people/groups? 83.180.157.136 19:27, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

For any song that you think merits an article and lacks one, feel free to link. If there is already a link that leads elsewhere than the song, you might do something like what I did at ".32-20 Blues". Of course, it's particularly useful if you will also write the article. - Jmabel | Talk 08:06, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Obscure, but...

The lede containst this: Of all the great blues musicians, Johnson was probably the most obscure. All that is known of him for certain is that he recorded 29 songs; he died young; and he was considered one of the greatest bluesmen of the Mississippi Delta. But then we have a rather lengthy and detailed article; is the information in it generally conjecture and not known for certain, then? --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 05:56, 20 January 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, that is a little over the top, presumably based on the Martin Scorcese quote. Scorcese is not a historian, and we certainly don't need both statements..--Blainster 22:00, 27 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Photos & Film

I think some explanation should be given to the two photos in existence and the debate over new photos. Also, Bob Dylan speaks about seeing some film footage of Johnson in his book Chronicles: Vol. 1. I think it has been debunked and exposed as fake, but I think it deserves mention regardless. Notahippie76 00:38, 28 January 2007 (UTC)


[edit] Comics Scene#49

In Comics Scene#49, David Goyer noted that he wrote a version of the Ghost Rider screenplay which would have used the crossroads where Robert Johnson sold his soul. Enda80 12:49, 28 January 2007 (UTC)Enda80

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../r/o/b/Talk%7ERobert_Johnson_%28musician%29_a08d.html"