The Robert Johnson legend goes that he gained his guitar virtuosity from the Devil after a midnight meeting at a Crossroads, as described in the song he recorded back in the 1930s – and rejuvenated nearly 40 years later by Eric Clapton and Cream.
The 29 songs he recorded (plus 12 alternate takes) show a musician who was technically and stylistically ahead of many of his peers. That he died tragically young aged 27 has only fuelled the fire of myth, but more important is that the real legacy of his music has influenced the generations of blues guitarists that followed.
