Robert Johnson (partially lost recordings of blues singer; late 1930s): Difference between revisions

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|This article has been tagged as <span style="color:blue">'''Needing work'''</span> due to its lack of clarity (is this about his music, recordings/photos of him, or all three?) and references.
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{{InfoboxLost
{{InfoboxLost
|title=<center>Robert Johnson recordings</center>
|title=<center>Robert Johnson recordings</center>
|image=Robert Johnson.png
|image=RobertJohnson-InfoboxPhoto.png
|imagecaption=One of three surviving photos of Johnson.
|imagecaption=One of three surviving photos of Johnson.
|status=<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''</span>
|status=<span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Lost'''</span>
}}
}}
'''Robert Johnson''' is a legendary blues guitarist that helped lay many of the roots for rock music. Johnson's life is shrouded in mystery. He is rumored to have sold his soul to the devil in exchange for his skills. He was among the first of many influential musicians to die at the age of 27, being an early member of what many refer to as the "27 Club".


'''Robert Johnson''' is a legendary blues guitarist that helped lay many of the roots for rock music in the coming decades. Johnson's life is shrouded in mystery. He is the guitarist rumored to have gotten his skills from the devil. He was the first of many influential musicians to die at the age of 27, starting what many refer to as the "27 Club".
Johnson was recorded only twice during his lifetime. He was recorded by Don Law in 1936 after seeking him out. Johnson then disappeared for several months before returning to record in 1937. He died the next year before recording more material.
 
Johnson had only been recorded twice during his lifetime. Alan Lomax, a man who was searching for talented musical acts to record, discovered Johnson and recorded him in a hotel room (reportedly with his back turned to Lomax) for a couple of thousand dollars in 1937. Johnson then disappeared for several months before returning to record for Lomax in 1938. He died a few months later, before he could record any more tracks. Lomax circulated around a few single records of some of Johnson's songs.


In total, about 29 songs were thought to have been recorded, with some alternate takes. All of the tracks combined totaled to 42 recordings. In the 60s, ''King Of Delta Blues Singers Volumes I ''and ''II'' were released. They were thought to be the most complete collections until 1989, when a few of the alternate takes were discovered in a vault. In 1990, ''The Complete Recordings ''was released and is, to this day, the most complete collection of Johnson's recordings. For years, many thought that all of Johnson's recordings were accounted for.
Originally, it was thought that about 29 songs, with some alternate takes, were all that was recorded. All of the tracks totaled 41 recordings. In the 60s, ''King Of Delta Blues Singers Volumes I ''and ''II'' was released. They were thought to be the complete collections until 1989 when a few alternate takes were discovered in a vault. In 1990, ''The Complete Recordings'' was released and is, to this day, the most complete collection of Johnson's recordings. For years, it was thought that all of Johnson's recordings were accounted for.


Then, in the 2000s, it was revealed by scholar Tom Graves that according to some paperwork done by Lomax in the 30s, there were a whopping 59 recordings total of Johnson's blues songs. It is unknown what happened to the remaining 17 songs, but it is entirely possible that Lomax may have issued out some of the missing tracks as single records over the years. Unless the master tapes emerge any time soon, this may be the only chance any of these tracks have of surfacing.
Tom Graves, in research for his book "Crossroads: The Life and Afterlife of Blues Legend Robert Johnson", found that paperwork done by Law accounted for 59 recordings. It is unknown what happened to the remaining 18 recordings. It's possible Law issued some of the missing tracks over the years, and this could be the only chance they have to surface if the originals are lost.


Also missing are many photographs of Johnson. For several decades, it was thought that only two confirmed photographs existed of Johnson: one was a studio photo of him on a stool, the other was taken in a booth with him staring directly into the lens. Then, in 2013, a third picture was revealed to have surfaced with him standing next to an unknown man. Johnson is easily identifiable with the unusual length of his fingers and his strange glare; his left eye is more narrow than his right.


[[Category:Lost music]]
[[Category:Lost music]]
[[Category:Lost recordings of real incidents]]
[[Category:Partially lost media]]
[[Category:Needing work]]

Revision as of 00:06, 9 March 2022

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This article has been tagged as Needing work due to its lack of references.



RobertJohnson-InfoboxPhoto.png

One of three surviving photos of Johnson.

Status: Partially Lost

Robert Johnson is a legendary blues guitarist that helped lay many of the roots for rock music. Johnson's life is shrouded in mystery. He is rumored to have sold his soul to the devil in exchange for his skills. He was among the first of many influential musicians to die at the age of 27, being an early member of what many refer to as the "27 Club".

Johnson was recorded only twice during his lifetime. He was recorded by Don Law in 1936 after seeking him out. Johnson then disappeared for several months before returning to record in 1937. He died the next year before recording more material.

Originally, it was thought that about 29 songs, with some alternate takes, were all that was recorded. All of the tracks totaled 41 recordings. In the 60s, King Of Delta Blues Singers Volumes I and II was released. They were thought to be the complete collections until 1989 when a few alternate takes were discovered in a vault. In 1990, The Complete Recordings was released and is, to this day, the most complete collection of Johnson's recordings. For years, it was thought that all of Johnson's recordings were accounted for.

Tom Graves, in research for his book "Crossroads: The Life and Afterlife of Blues Legend Robert Johnson", found that paperwork done by Law accounted for 59 recordings. It is unknown what happened to the remaining 18 recordings. It's possible Law issued some of the missing tracks over the years, and this could be the only chance they have to surface if the originals are lost.