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The devil made him do it

Short of the occasional mention on the X-Files, you don't hear much talk these days about people making successful pacts with Satan. At least, the folks at The Mudcat Café haven't had much luck hooking up with Old Nick--and lord knows they've tried! Purely for research purposes, though--you see, they're a bit curious about the history of Robert Johnson, who (according to legend) spent an evening or two hanging out with the Dark One, and remarkable improved his playing abilities as a result. Using the research of blues historian Julio Finn as a touchstone, this Mudcat editor takes a long look at Johnson's life, and how his understanding of voodoo--as well as his deep passion for music--helped him create the red-hot guitar music he's now famous for.

Fri, 28 Jan 2000 06:45:37 -0800