Let's listen to some of the songs by Robert Johnson and some of the cover songs by other artists who grew up idolizing him. I think you will be struck by the versatility and variety of these songs, and the virtuosity displayed on them. It seems he has an almost endless supply of guitar tricks at his disposal and dramatic changes in tone and texture are frequent. His voice goes effortlessly from rough to sweet, from whispered to shouted. And where words are not enough, he hoots, hollers, yodels, or hums. Incidentally,lots of these songs were filled with double entendres, mostly euphemisms for sex. This, one of the earliest recordings from the first day is not, shall we say, about cleaning a broom. [MUSIC] This song was made more famous by Elmore James, another Mississippi area artist who moved to Chicago to the electric guitar. [MUSIC] Also recorded that first day in 1936, although not released until 1981, Sweet Home Chicago has become the anthem for the Windy City, gradually replacing Frank Sinatra's My Kind of Town [MUSIC] Sweet Home Chicago has been covered by Fleetwood Mac, Foghat, The Blues Brothers and many others. The close of the Monday session finds Johnson in a particularly risque mood. He recorded what turned out to be his best selling song, Terraplane Blues, near the end of the session. Now this song purports to be about the workings of a car, but most people think it's really about the mechanics of sex. [MUSIC] This is the first song recorded on Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. It finds Johnson in a jovial mood, virtually singing multiple voices for multiple characters. It's his best known dance tune. [MUSIC] Now if that sounds familiar to you, perhaps it's because the Red Hot Chili Peppers did a funky cover of this song. [MUSIC] Seven months later the Dallas sessions open with searing intense performances evoking themes of damnation and redemption. Hellhound On My Trail is a haunting piece of work. It's one of his best known songs, and many would say it's actually his best performance of all time. It was the first song recorded on the last day in Dallas, which turned out to be the last session of Robert Johnson's life. Many scholars by the way believe Johnson himself propagated the tale of the crossroads with this song, with Crossroads Blues, and with a couple of others. Musicians, note the open minor guitar tuning in this song. [MUSIC] Many of the artists influenced by Johnson came from a land he never visited, the United Kingdom. Perhaps the musician who was most captivated by Johnson, Is Eric Clapton. Clapton's love for Johnson wasn't just imitation, but ultimately it became part of who he is. He absorbed Johnson's music and took it to a whole new level. Nearly every band Clapton has played in has covered Johnson's songs. Clapton played homage to this song in the lyrics for Derek and the Dominos track Layla, using the phrase from the original song, please don't say we'll never find a way, and tell me all my love's in vain. [MUSIC] >> The Rolling Stones famously covered the song as well. [MUSIC] It's hard to imagine that a successful, young musician in his 20s, could write such a song. A song so filled with resignation and despair. Clapton released a Robert Johnson tribute album in 2004. He called it Me and Mr. Johnson. It's a fabulous piece of work, well worth owning. Now the last song we'll hear from Robert Johnson. This song tells the story of the singer waking up one morning to the devil knocking on the door, telling him it's the time to go. Speaking of time to go How he died is also unbelievable. He died at the age of 27. You've probably heard about the 27 Club, those musicians dying at 27 like Hendrix, Joplin, and Kurt Cobain, for example. He was one of the first, if not the first. We'll talk about that in the next video. [MUSIC]
