Hell Hound on My Trail
Robert Johnson: Mythos und Musik
The essay throws a glance at the level of research regarding the music and circumstances of the bluesman Robert Johnson. It tries to figure out the “white” influences as well as the “black” traditions, which are involved in the formation of the so-called “Robert Johnson myth”. As a result of this formation the CD-reissue of his songs eventually became a big seller at the beginning of the 1990’s. In a second step the focus lays on the integration of his music into the context of blues development, i. e. it follows the musical, technical and lyrical modules of Johnson’s songs and – as far as possible – tries to locate their origin within the framework of the obvious or hidden blues roots.