Wald Elijah: Bijeg iz Delte

Elijah Wald: Escape from the Delta

Robert Johnson and the history of the blues

The whimsical evolution of the blues, in which the widespread popularity of this music alternated with almost total oblivion, is perfectly reflected in the paradox of Robert Johnson's fame: his records sold incredibly poorly during his lifetime, and today it is generally considered that they contain the greatest and most important blues music ever recorded! Robert Johnson was a wanderer and homeless, he loved women and alcohol, he was haunted by demons and eventually violently killed; due to his untimely death, introspective lyrics and exceptional role in the history of popular music, comparisons with Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix are self-imposed... In contrast to the pre-war times in which he lived, Johnson has been regularly mentioned since the 60s as an indispensable figure in the history of blues, a musical greatness whose influence was equal to that of Charlie Parker in jazz or Hank Williams in country. At the same time, the impressive list of artists who recorded covers of his songs is truly awe-inspiring: Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Cream, Led Zeppelin, Allman Brothers, Lucinda Williams, White Stripes, Red Hot Chili Peppers...
To clarify the "Robert Johnson paradox", i.e. to find an answer to the question of why it took almost 30 years after his death for people to start discovering the beauty and quality of his music, publicist and musician Elijah Wald takes us on a peculiar journey dusty roads and cotton fields, through the history of blues. Starting from the Mississippi Delta, the "cradle and holy place of the blues", where, in addition to Johnson, many other great bluesmen emerged, Wald studiously and with a lot of love and respect analyzes the works and lives of the most important blues musicians of the last century - from the earliest pre-war superstars Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Charley Patton or Blind Lemon Jefferson, to the later geniuses better known to today's generation: Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker or B.B. King, to name just a few. The author studiously and concisely, journalistically clearly and legibly, with countless data and illustrations, reveals the life and work of Robert Johnson, as well as the origin and development of the blues, offering a new perspective on this magnificent American traditional music.
"The Colorful Shop" proudly presents the first book about blues in this area, definitely recommended to readers eager for musical research and especially to blues and rock fans for new knowledge about the roots of the music they listen to. We benevolently warn the mentioned and other readers to be ready to question and break established blues myths and stereotypes - from which they could come out musically and culturally significantly richer!