Back to the Crossroads: The Roots of Robert Johnson

Various Artists (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 20, 2004)
• Original Release Date: 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Yazoo
• ASIN: B00011V81I
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #113,415 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Police Station Blues - Petetie Wheatstraw

2. Old Original Kokomo Blues - Kokomo Arnold

3. Cruel Hearted Woman - Bumble Bee Slim

4. Roll And Tumble Blues - Hambone Willie Newbern

5. Life Saver Blues - Lonnie Johnson

6. Sitting On Top Of The World - Mississippi Sheiks

7. Hittin' The Bottle Stomp - Mississippi Jook Band

8. Devil Got My Woman - Skip James

9. My Black Mama, Pt.1 - Son House

10. Georgia Bound - Blind Blake

11. When The Sun Goes Down - Leroy Carr

12. Sissy Man Blues - Kokomo Arnold

13. Your Enemy Cannot Harm You - Rev. E.W. Clayborn

14. Lead Pencil Blues - Johnny Temple

15. Blues - Skip James

16. Dry Southern Blues - Blind Lemon Jefferson

17. Kokomo Blues - Scrapper Blackwell

18. Things 'Bout Coming My Way - Tampa Red

19. King Of Spades - Pettie Wheatstraw

20. Oh Red - Harlem Hamfats

See all 23 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Extraordinary Collection of Robert Johnson Influences, December 28, 2004

By 

MidWest Phil "Midwest Phil" (Northfield, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Back to the Crossroads: The Roots of Robert Johnson (Audio CD)

This CD is meant as a companion piece to the book "Escaping the Delta: Robert Johnson and the Invention of the Blues" written by Elijah Wald.

The book is a scholarly investigation into the various musical, cultural, and business/economic influences that comprised the world in which Robert Johnson (RJ) created his music and his landmark recordings.

Elijah Wald's research suggests RJ was not the tortured artist recluse who single-handedly invented the Delta Blues. Rather, Wald suggests - with full respect for the talent and genious of the man - Robert Johnson was a talented and skilled entertainer of the time who listened to and mastered many of the diverse contemporary music styles of his time - and then he created his own songs echoing these popular styles. The legacy this single artist provided in a very short number of years is truly amazing.

One listen to this CD and Elijah's Wald premise is clarified. The similarities of music (and occasional sharing of lyrics - not uncommon for the time or genre) is obvious, and each song on this CD can easily be related to one of Robert Johnson's masterworks created several years later. This truly is a fabulous collection of Robert Johnson influences and by itself is a very listenable compilation of popular music contemporary to Robert Johnson.

To the casual fan of Robert Johnson's music, this CD is a great addition to your collection, as it provides additional tracks of music quite similar to the beloved Johnson songs. To the true acoustic Blues enthusiast, the CD coupled with the book provides a wonderful combination of insite to the music of the time.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rare treasures, July 9, 2009

By 

JENNIFER SPERRY (Charlotte, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Back to the Crossroads: The Roots of Robert Johnson (Audio CD)

This CD is one of my desert island choices. It introduces the music of Kokomo Arnold, Peetie Wheatstraw and other great artists rarely heard today --- they were able to make a lot of music with unrefined instruments. The voices are wonderful - expressive and sometimes funny. This isn't just a CD for the scholarly - it's a find to be listened to over and over. Incredible slide guitar - listen for Kokomo's shoutouts.