Part of the ReMastered series on Netflix, Devil at the Crossroads, tells the mysterious story of the life and career of Delta blues musician Robert Johnson. Johnson was a man whose music was cloaked in myth, partly due to the fact that not much was known about him until after his death. In fact, there are only two known photos of him, no video footage, and he only ever recorded 29 compositions.
The short documentary features interviews with Johnson’s son, Claude Johnson, and grandson, Steven Johnson, and scholars fascinated with the myth surrounding the man, as they try to piece together what Johnson’s life may have looked like. Through discussion of Johnson’s life, the myth and mystery of his music is also explored.
Johnson rose to prominence in the late 1930s in the Mississippi Delta and is now considered the king of the Delta blues. Johnson suffered tragedy after tragedy in his life, but he always came back to his music, which was shrouded in mystery. Legend has it that Johnson disappeared from the Delta for a year and reappeared with a sudden and unexplainable talent. A rumour then began circulating that he had met the devil at a crossroads where he sold his soul to gain his remarkable talent.
The documentary explores other stories in Johnson’s life; possible time with a mentor, Ike Zimmerman; his troubled past growing up a generation away from slavery in the Mississippi Delta, which saw more lynchings than anywhere else in the US; and his constant struggle to play the blues in a society that saw it as the devil’s music. He gave up any chance at a normal life because of his need to play the blues, even losing the women he loved because of it.
Ultimately, Johnson became a part of the 27 club, a group of legendary musicians who all died at age 27, including Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, and Jimi Hendrix. These musicians were wholly dedicated to their music; they’d all been through pain, but because of it, they were able to create something beautiful and unique.
At one point in the doc, Steven Johnson, Robert Johnson’s grandson, addresses the myth surrounding his grandfather: “I do know at some point in everyone’s life, we come to a crossroads and we all have to choose how much we can sacrifice in order to achieve greatness.”
What stands out the most in this documentary is the wonder that music and myth can transcend and inspire over time. While Johnson had been inspired by early Delta blues musicians such as Son House and Ike Zimmerman, he went on to inspire later artists, such as Muddy Waters, who in turn inspired blues rockers such as Jimi Hendrix, and so on. Almost a century later, Johnson is still impacting those who hear his music and learn his story. There’s a reason that scholars and musicians to this day are obsessed with learning everything they can about him, who doesn’t want to believe that there might be a little bit of magic out there?
Darien Johnsen is a UFV alumni who obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree with double extended minors in Global Development Studies and Sociology in 2020. She started writing for The Cascade in 2018, taking on the role of features editor shortly after. She’s passionate about justice, sustainable development, and education.
