The Jessie Canute

“Johnson is often considered the first member of the infamous 27 Club”

Robert Johnson is one of the most legendary names in the blues, not only for his music, but for the dark cloud that surrounds his short life and tragic death. He left behind a handful of recordings that influenced generations, but he also left behind whispers of curses, crossroads, and hellhounds that still haunt the Delta.

Johnson’s influence is impossible to miss. Elvis Presley, Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, and Elton John all drew from his songs. But for some, playing Johnson’s music came at a price. Tragedies from Clapton’s devastating personal loss to misfortunes among the Stones, have helped fuel the legend of the “Crossroads Curse,” the idea that Johnson’s deal with the Devil didn’t just bind him, but anyone bold enough to carry his songs forward.

The legend begins in Rosedale, Mississippi, where a young Johnson was said to have met the Devil at the junction of Highways 8 and 1. Stories tell of a large black dog watching as the Devil took Johnson’s guitar, tuned it, played a few notes, and handed it back. From that moment, Johnson’s clumsy playing was transformed into supernatural skill. Locals recalled that he disappeared for nearly a year, and when he returned, he could make a guitar sound like two instruments at once. That sudden mastery only deepened the belief that he hadn’t just practiced, but he had bargained.

Some versions of the tale add that Johnson later met a crossroads demon in Clarksdale, who helped him slip into the local blues clubs and seal his fame. But a deal with the Devil never comes without consequences. Johnson himself seemed to know it. In songs like Cross Road Blues and Hellhound on My Trail, he sang of being chased, hunted, and haunted. Friends later said he truly believed demons were after him.

At 27 years old, the Devil came calling. Johnson died after being poisoned, most say by a jealous husband after Johnson flirted with his wife while performing in Greenwood, Mississippi. Witnesses claimed that in his final hours, Johnson crawled on all fours, howling like a dog, as if the hellhounds he sang about had finally caught him.

His death only deepened the mystery. Three separate tombstones in three different towns all claim to mark his grave, yet no one knows where his body actually lies. Some even say he was dug up, burned, or secretly moved to prevent the curse from spreading. To make things stranger, his death wasn’t officially recorded until nearly 30 years later.

And then there’s the curse. Johnson is often considered the first member of the infamous “27 Club,” the eerie group of musicians who died at the same age, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, and more. Johnson’s name is always the one at the start of that list, as if he opened the door for all who followed.

Today, Robert Johnson’s music lives on in the National Archives of Sound, and his bloodline continues through six grandchildren. The crossroads in Clarksdale is paved over, though a sign still marks the spot where legend says a man once traded his soul.

Robert Johnson’s story is part history, part folklore, and part ghost story. His music gave the blues its haunted heartbeat, and his legend gave America one of its greatest cautionary tales: some deals never stop collecting.