Robert Johnson, known far and wide as The King of the Blues, remains the most enigmatic character in the history of the blues. Born in Hazlehurst, Miss., to a plantation worker in 1911, he took up the guitar after being taught by an older brother. At the age of 19, he was described as less than skillful with the instrument. Only a few years later, his talent had improved so greatly that he confounded those that had heard him play before. This gave rise to the famous legend that he’d sold his soul to the devil for his playing skill. Johnson died at the age of 27, amidst rumors that he’d been poisoned for having an affair with the wife of a juke-joint owner.
No one knows exactly where Johnson was buried. Some say Little Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Greenwood—though it’s also said he lies at Payne Church in the same city, or the Mt. Zion churchyard in Morgan City. It’s all part of the legend.
There is one mystery Robert Johnson’s life that has been solved—his heir. I recently spoke with Claud Johnson about his father and the battle over his estate. “Back in the 1990s, Sony bought Columbia out. As that music began to brew up in England and other places overseas, the name Robert Johnson came up. But the people from Sony were concerned over who owned the rights, so they came to the courthouse in town.” After locating both Robert Johnson and Claud Johnson’s birth certificates, they contacted Claud, and thus began the struggle for control of Johnson’s estate.
“My grandfather was a preacher, and so he and my grandmother did not approve of my father because he was a blues singer—they called that the devil’s music. Nevertheless, they always told me: ‘That is your dad.’ I lost him when I was six—I only saw him twice in my life.”
Johnson explains why he fought to prove his position as the son of Robert Johnson, going into court for over eight years including two visits to the U.S. Supreme Court, eventually succeeding in his mission. “My name meant a lot to me, so I wanted to prove to them that I was Robert Johnson’s son. I knew it all of my life.”
