The Strange Life and Legendary Death of Robert Johnson | 30

Uncharted: Crime and Mayhem in the Music Industry

According to myths around the world, the devil is always looking for more souls…this practice isn’t anywhere in the bible, but there are plenty of accounts in other religions, literature, and art.

For example, Dante’s “ The Divine Comedy, “ written in the 14th century, riffs on this concept.

Other stories involve the devil and demons seeking humans to give up their souls in exchange for riches, favours, or the bestowment of special powers. These are the so-called “deals with the devil.”

The best-known ancient example is the story of Faust, a German legend dating to the 16th century... a depressed and bored scholar attempts suicide... when that fails, he calls upon the devil to make things better.

“Give me magic powers, knowledge, and a chance to indulge in all the pleasures of this world!”… The devil—known as Mephistopheles in this story—says, “Sure!... You can have all you want for a few years…but when time is up, you will give me your soul, and you will be my slave forever.”

Faust says, “deal!”…and for a while, he gets everything he wants, including lots of sex…things inevitably turn out bad for him, and per his contract, he is carried off to hell—maybe…there are other versions of the story where he gains redemption and gets to keep his soul.

So how does one make an appointment with the devil to sell their soul?...mostly, you meet him at a crossroads at midnight, discuss terms, and sign the contract.

Over the centuries, sea captains, generals, and painters are said to have sold their souls in exchange for worldly things…and so have a number of musicians…the most famous of these stories is connected to blues musician Robert Johnson…it is said he made a deal with the devil and was bestowed with an almost supernatural ability to play the guitar.

Robert Johnson eventually died at the age of 27…but what really happened?...was he murdered?...or did his contract expire?

I’m Alan Cross, and this is episode 30 of “Uncharted: Crime and Mayhem in the Music Industry”…let’s take a trip to the crossroads to see whom we find there…and here’s a hint: more than just Robert Johnson will be there.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices