Crossroads: The Life and Afterlife of Blues Legend Robert Johnson [Paperback]

Tom Graves (Author), Steve LaVere (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2008

The result of careful research, this stylish biography of infamous blues musician Robert Johnson reveals the real story behind the mythical talent that made him a musical legend. According to some, Robert Johnson learned guitar by trading his soul away to the Devil at a crossroads in rural Mississippi. When he died at age 27 of a mysterious poisoning, many superstitious fans came to believe that the Devil had returned to take his due. This diligent study of Johnson’s life debunks these myths, while emphasizing the effect that Johnson, said to be the greatest blues musician who ever lived, has had on modern musicians and fans of the blues.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Crossroads is well researched, informative and easy to read. . . . An enjoyable read that separates the man from the myth."  —Blues Review magazine

"Graves applies the lively narration of music journalism to this brief

biography of Delta blues guitarist Robert Johnson."  —Book News Inc.

"The most complete and accurate book so far on Robert Johnson . . . an interesting and absorbing book that not only will be of interest to new fans, but will fill in some gaps for longtime fans."  —Blues Bytes online magazine

"Graves' study is well researched and entertaining, and worth a read by anyone interested in Johnson and his remarkable legacy."  —Dirty Linen magazine

"This short book is an interesting study . . . of Robert Johnson's life but also in the legends surrounding his life and death. Graves is adept at retelling the facts."  —BluesWax

"Graves'. . . aim in this brief but handy clearinghouse of a book is to separate fact from fiction and set the record straight, a job even Johnson's friends in the 1930s had trouble doing."  —Memphis magazine

"Anyone who is aware of Robert Johnson's contribution to blues and rock music will want this book. It is as true a picture of the man as we will ever have."  —Blues Society of Tulsa

About the Author

Tom Graves is the author of Pullers and has written articles for American History, Musician, The New Leader, The New York Times Book Review, The Oxford American, Rolling Stone, and The Washington Post Book World. He lives in Memphis, Tennessee. Steve LaVere is a music historian and a Grammy Award–winning record producer.

Product Details

• Paperback: 151 pages
• Publisher: Demers Books LLC (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0981600212
• ISBN-13: 978-0981600215
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #439,845 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tom Graves is the author of the award-winning biography Crossroads: The Life and Afterlife of Blues Legend Robert Johnson and the gritty novel Pullers. Crossroads won the Keeping the Blues Alive Award in Literature, 2010, and received wide acclaim for his accurate depiction of the mysterious Robert Johnson and for the literary verve of his writing. Likewise, his novel Pullers won laudatory notices from critics as well as other authors such as Harry Crews, Charles Gaines, Ben Hamper, and Robert Campbell.

Graves' wide range of interests are also reflected in the many e-books he has published with Amazon.com's Kindle and other e-publishers. These books include:

-My Afternoon With Louise Brooks, the funny and sad memoir of the afternoon Tom Graves spent with the reclusive silent film legend Louise Brooks. This e-book also now includes a chapter from Graves' aborted biography of Louise Brooks and over 100 selected photographs of Brooks, including the long-suppressed art nudes taken of her in the 1920s.

-The Men With the Golden Ears: The Geniuses of the Digital Remastering Age.

-In the Midnight Aisle: The Story of the Blackwood Brothers Quartet.

-How To Publish Your Book: The Simple ABC's of Traditional Hard Copy Publishing and the New Ebook Market. This is the highly anticipated guide provided for writers wanting to navigate the "shark-infested waters" of book publishing.

-Natural Born Elvis: The Story of Bill Haney, the First Elvis Impersonator, a piece published to great acclaim originally by The Oxford American magazine.

-Blonde Shadow: The Brief Career and Mysterious Disappearance of Actress Linda Haynes -- an account of the years-long search for a promising actress who vanished in 1980.

His two books originally published in hard copy, Crossroads and Pullers, are now available as e-books on Kindle.

Tom Graves is also the former editor of Rock & Roll Disc magazine and has written for many prominent publications such as The New York Times and The Washington Post, Rolling Stone, The Oxford American, Musician, American History, and The New Leader. A photographer as well as an author, his photographs have been exhibited in several galleries and published in newspapers and magazines.

At present Tom Graves is working on a documentary film on the legendary 1968 debates between Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley Jr. with Emmy and Grammy winning author Robert Gordon. The author is a lifelong Memphian and teaches Literature and Humanities at LeMoyne-Owen College there.

Tom Graves may be contacted at: [e-mail]

His web site is: www.tom-graves.com

His photography can be viewed on his photography site at: http://tomgraves8700.zenfolio.com/

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Far from anything new, October 30, 2008

By 

Blues Prof - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crossroads: The Life and Afterlife of Blues Legend Robert Johnson (Paperback)

In the foreward to this book, Steve LaVere, long self-appointed guardian of Robert Johnson's music and legacy, claims that this is the most definitive work on Johnson that you're likely to come across. Nothing could be further from the truth. LaVere's claim is particularly surprising since his own liner notes for the 2 disc recordings of Johnson's complete works and his Johnson bio on his Delta Haze website are far more comprehensive than this book. It's also a mystery whether or not the people who wrote reviews of this book like the one in Blues Revue Magazine were at all familiar with Robert Johnson or any of the other research already published about him because this book doesn't come even close to covering what has already been written. Graves (and I REALLY don't like being critical) offers nothing new in the way of Johnson's life and actually spends only about 34 pages in the whole book dealing with facts about his life, and even that is a rehash of what we already know. I applaud Graves for giving it a shot, but the book just doesn't do it.

With Graves being from Memphis it's particularly disturbing that he doesn't really touch on Johnson's early life there except for very brief mention (literally only a few sentences with no context at all as to where he was living or what Memphis was like at that time). This is a period that many suspect was crucial in forming the young Robert Johnson. New research due out shortly should provide great depth and context to this important time for the young Johnson.

In the Memphis Commercial Appeal (newspaper) Graves states that he '"nails shut" the idea that Johnson ever claimed diabolical intervention." (that is "selling his soul to the devil at the crossroads.) A bold claim but one that doesn't hold a lot of validty: virtually all contemporary blues scholars who have written about Johnson have done the same thing, and in greater depth. A recent (February 2008) article in Living Blues magazine about Ike Zimmerman, probably Johnson's main guitar mentor) goes into much further detail in dispelling any satanic intervention.

There ARE some interesting elements to Graves' work, however, few of them have to do with Johnson's life. There's a discussion of the legend of the crossroads; the "discovery" and popularization of Johnson by John Hammond, Sr.; the growth of rock and roll and folk-rock ala Dylan; a discussion of the 1986 Ralph Macchio/Joe Seneca movie Crossroads that helped bring Johnson to the attention of a new generation; controversy over the 3.5-second film allegedly showing Johnson playing; the legal battles over the existing Johnson photos (as part of this discussion Graves makes the unfortunate choice to suggest that Johnson scholar Mack McCormick has been considered a "crackpot": - yes, he actually uses that word), and the legal suit that decided that Claud Johnson was, in fact, Robert's illegitimate son. But again, these are not new issues and anyone familiar with Johnson at all will find nothing added in this work. The liner notes that LaVere wrote for the Complete Robert Johnson recordings double CD are, in fact, a far more comprehensive look at Johnson's life than what one finds here.

There's no doubt that there is more to learn about Johnson, but this book is not it. Anyone wanting to learn about Johnson is far better off reading "Escaping the Delta" by Elijah Wald, "Robert Johnson Lost and Found" by Barry Pearson and Bill McCullouh, or as already mentioned LaVere's liner notes, or his Delta Haze website.

There's just so much missing from this book that is known that one wonders what LaVere was thinking when he made his claim in the foreward that this is a definitive work.

It's a shame that this book didn't fulfill it's stated promise.

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great starting point!, November 3, 2008

By 

Mr. Burruss S. Williams - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Crossroads: The Life and Afterlife of Blues Legend Robert Johnson (Paperback)

I must say I preordered this book through Amazon.com. I guess they keep track of all of our purchases and thought I may be interested in the book. Anyway I found the book a great survey of information that has been collected or researched about RJ. The author refers to various books, videos and articles that a person can explore if they curious. Face it, many people have made Robert Johnson their lifes work! This book is not for that type of reader. But for the average listener interested in solid, basic, RJ information this book fits the bill! I have read books where a writer will breakdown how Johnson played certain passages and try to convince the reader that Johnson was some kind of musical savant with an undersatnding of music theory far beyond his fellow bluesmen. Honestly, few people need that kind of information. Graves book is a great introduction to Johnson. If the reader is so inclined there are many other books out there and many are an enjoyable read. Graves lists these sources but his book has all the information that 90 percent of all blues listeners will ever need. Hey, the book costs less than a good set of strings! Read it

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars tributaries, November 16, 2008

By 

River Rafter Rat Fur "rolling on the river" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crossroads: The Life and Afterlife of Blues Legend Robert Johnson (Paperback)

I am a recent inductee to the Robert Johnson fan base. Graves' study, I feel, is quite easily digested and a good appetizer for Johnson's works. The appendix shines a critical light on several of Johnson's pieces. These reviews carried me further into the work, life and afterlife of this mysterious legend.