This is the name of a Netflix movie, just recently released. It is a tribute to Robert Johnson, who was greatly admired by all of the Rolling Stones, and also Rod Stewart, Eric Clapton, and many other musicians. Robert was a tragic figure who was abused by some of his relatives and passed from one caregiver to the next when he was a young boy. He mainly taught himself how to play the guitar. He apparently died in his late twenties, possibly by poison given to him at a blues bar, after having gotten into an argument with a bar patron.

The song, Love in Vain, was inspired by a true story. Robert had returned to the train station to pick up his wife, only to hear that both his wife and child in the womb, had both died. The song sung by Stones is a wonderful and soulful song.

Keith Richards was one of the musicians who told the sad story of Robert Johnson and praised his singing and guitar musicianship.

thanks for the info, did you watch it already ?

Yes, I have.

I watched it last weekend and it's very interesting. Interviews with a lot of Johnson's relatives, writers and musicians. Details what a sad, short life Robert Johnson had but left such a powerful and influential legacy. Well worth a watch.

"I'll be in my basement room with a needle and a spoon."

It's good.

well worth watching.

I would suggest you watch "The Search for Robert Johnson" first.

[en.wikipedia.org]

It has the interviews that John Hammond did w/ RJs old girlfriend and Honeyboy Edwards etc. etc.....some of these are sampled in "Devil @ the Crossroads"

I felt SfRJ gave me a better contextual understanding of D@tC

parts of SfRJ are a bit too "Hammond-heavy" but it's still a good documentary.

I've tried the crossroads thing a few times but nobody showed up...nice movie, thanks.

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z
I've tried the crossroads thing a few times but nobody showed up...nice movie, thanks.

Go down tonight, I’ll be there ><

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stickyfingers101
It's good.

well worth watching.

I would suggest you watch "The Search for Robert Johnson" first.

[en.wikipedia.org]

It has the interviews that John Hammond did w/ RJs old girlfriend and Honeyboy Edwards etc. etc.....some of these are sampled in "Devil @ the Crossroads"

I felt SfRJ gave me a better contextual understanding of D@tC

parts of SfRJ are a bit too "Hammond-heavy" but it's still a good documentary.

That scene with Willie Mae on Hammond's documentary (partially shown on Netflix's) alone makes Hammond's movie a must-see.

Yeah Search For Robert Johnson is the better of the two ta watch ….

Devil at Crossroad was okay but all that animated voodoo shit spoiled it ….



ROCKMAN

Haven't seen it but will now.
I was put off by the devil at the crossroads theme, worried the filmmakers actually took that seriously.

i wonder how much was Keef's segment in Devil at the Crossroads???

Keith speaks briefly two - three times …...



ROCKMAN

Semi-OT but if you own the 1990 2-cd set you'd [be] well advised to invest in the 2011 "The Centennial Collection". The sonic upgrade is tremendous...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019-05-11 10:41 by dcba.

YES …. Centennial ungrade is great …..



ROCKMAN

I think it was Brian and/or Keith who said that when they first heard Johnson they thought it was 2 guitarists playing.

Stop Breaking Down is my favourite Johnson track and I love the Stones version too. Clapton's version is also good, but the White Stripes one is a bit too overdriven and lacks groove.

Sad that he had such a short difficult life. So many of the original bluesmen had it really tough.

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wonderboy
Haven't seen it but will now.
I was put off by the devil at the crossroads theme, worried the filmmakers actually took that seriously.

No, they didn't. They discuss the devil theme, and its (mostly metaphorical) significance in Afro-American culture, but they will offer a more naturalistic explanation for Johnson's quick mastering of guitar. Something to do with a guy called Zimmermann - that mystical name that appears and disappears in the history of American music...

There is another, much longer Robert Johnson document from the late 90's - can't recall the name but it can be found on youtube - in which Johnson's contemporaries talk about Mr. Z - this mystical guitar mentor of Johnson - but none of them had heard about him. That document discusses more in detail about Johnson's actual doings and travelling yaers, especially by his co-hobo, Jimmy Shines (Keith's there, too). Great stuff.

But I liked the Netflix docu as well. So much that it inspired me to re-listen Robert's stuff, and other delta blues, like a blues purist...

- Doxa



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019-05-11 16:06 by Doxa.

To see and hear the best version of Love in Vain, go to YouTube and type in Rolling Stones Stripped Love in Vain. Imagine Robert showing up at the train station, in a happy mood to pick up his wife and new baby, only to be told that both had recently passed away. The last lines acknowledge tremendous grief and guilt and fears he was losing his mind .

Robert borrowed the blue/red light lyrics from Blind Lemon Jefferson's Dry Southern Blues - Paramount 1926

DRY SOUTHERN BLUES

My mind leads me to take a trip down south
My mind leads me to take a trip down south
Take a trip down south and stop at a fatmouth's house

One train's at the depot with the red and blue lights behind
One train's at the depot with the red and blue lights behind
Well, the blue light's the blues, the red light's the worried mind



ROCKMAN

i went down to the cross roads trying to hitch a ride.
well, i went down to the cross roads trying to hitch a ride
i got picked up by the Ventures
i''m gonna surf until i die
i went down to mississippi
that's m.i.s.s.i.s.s.i.p.p.i. yeh children (ta bump dooby doo waahhky wah)
i went down to mississippi
that's m.i.s.s.i.s.s.i.p.p.i. yeh children (ta bump dooby doo waahhky wah)
got picked up my The Ventures chillydrens
i gwine surf till i die
well the debbil tunes the cello ann he duz not break no brine....oh yeh babay...
well the debbil tunes the cello childrens, ann he does not break no brine
she's steamy in bikini baby, WHOMP....

.... annette funicello is all mine....
brb...

ROCKMAN

i'm writing a blues tune called Darryl at the Crossroads.
well he went to the crossroads tried to get a gig
well he went to the crossroads triyin to get a gig lordy lordy wah ooooohhh
wah oooooohhh yeah
a big white van pulled overrr....

that's all i got so far, brb



needs one last line, eight syllabillys...hmmm...then verse 1 is frggin' HISTORY...

tryine to get ol' lisa in there. mebbe she's driving the van....maybe not....a writer goes thru terrible hard, hard times people, really hard times, man brb the pizza's here...no mushrooms or feta and he can just drive it back to bev hills again, i'm creating here .....not screwing around with uber goobers, no wonder it's so long between albums....



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019-05-12 13:32 by hopkins.

Did Mr Whippy operate up thru the delta ????????????????????



ROCKMAN

While travelling that old country two lane with three beers down

Daryll went to the crossroads bar tried to get a gig, slipping girls of past

Yeah! He went to the crossroads triyin to get a gig lordy lordy wah ooooohhh


Slip the past

Slip the Past, there is always some girl new !! lordy lordy wah hooo



Darryl and jessies took off in that white Dodge Ram Van

Hands encroached yeah wahoo !! clothes flew jewelry lost yeah wahoo!!

Slip the past

Slip the Past, there is always some girl new !! lordy lordy wah hooo




Early morning came quickly with a glaring sun with reality setting in.

Jessie did not say a word and left

lordy lordy wah hooo





Slip the past

Slip the Past, there is always some girl new !! lordy lordy wah hooo


lordy lordy wah hooo



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2019-05-12 16:14 by Chris Fountain.

I thought it was pretty good. Would like to see where the real crossroads is though. Or did I miss it? Besides the other stories I've seen on Robert Johnson this time I was surprised to see he has a Grandson. Didn't know he had any living family, so that's cool.

It was kind of sad in that Robert's music could not let him have a family as his wife left him because of the church's belief that it was all devil music.

More myth at the crossroads with RJ?

I just watched a Netflix special on Robert Johnson and during it they played an old recorded interview with Willie Brown (it could have been Son House) where he states that Robert comes walking in to the club with a 7th string on his (otherwise) 6 string guitar, then plays the house down. What in the heck could that mean? I'm trying to imagine tying 2 strings to one tuner, cutting a slot in the nut, but am not sure where it would go on the bridge and tailpiece. Also, I'm no Robert Johnson expert but I do love his music. In googling to try to research this 7 string business I ran across the fact that folks can't even agree on what tunings he used or whether or not a capo was used. Could this all be explained by a 7th string? Aside from that, the 7th string is mentioned on wikipedia and a couple other sites but nothing more than saying he had a 7th string. One article said this was in his later years. Does anyone know more about Robert Johnson and a 7th string on his guitar?

I too thought about the 7 string claim/comment. Kind of think it's hype, but I suppose it adds more dimension to the myth. Okay.

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OpenG
Does anyone know more about Robert Johnson and a 7th string on his guitar?

If anyone knows, it should be Stefan Grossman.

7th string guitar is also known as "Russian guitar". it was common in Tzarist Russia during late 18-19th century and way into early 20th century, when after Segovia's visit to Moscow in 1920s it was overshadowed by versatility of 6th string one. Russian's guitar tuning is: d - h - g - d - H - G - D.....indeed an open G, u see ??





Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2019-05-12 21:03 by NathanLaze.

Quote
Chris Fountain
While travelling that old country two lane with three beers down

Daryll went to the crossroads bar tried to get a gig, slipping girls of past

Yeah! He went to the crossroads triyin to get a gig lordy lordy wah ooooohhh


Slip the past

Slip the Past, there is always some girl new !! lordy lordy wah hooo



Darryl and jessies took off in that white Dodge Ram Van

Hands encroached yeah wahoo !! clothes flew jewelry lost yeah wahoo!!

Slip the past

Slip the Past, there is always some girl new !! lordy lordy wah hooo




Early morning came quickly with a glaring sun with reality setting in.

Jessie did not say a word and left

lordy lordy wah hooo





Slip the past

Slip the Past, there is always some girl new !! lordy lordy wah hooo


lordy lordy wah hooo

i'm pretty sure it was a ford transit; otherwise with you all the way.