Was Robert Johnson, in fact, murdered by drinking a bottle of poisoned moonshine? Was that ’shine offered by the husband of a woman Johnson had been making the moves on?
Johnson is a legend. How he came to be such a great guitar player might be the most popular piece of music folklore of the 20th century. Likewise, how he died is the topic of much conspiracy.
That alcohol was likely involved in Johnson’s death can be assumed with circumstantial certainty. One need only look at the repertoire of songs that Johnson recorded in his 27 years to see the hypothetical truth. Tunes such as “Blues That Made Me Drunk,” “Booze and Blues,” “Good Gin Blues” and “Moonshine” say a lot about an artist’s predilections.
Here is a playlist of some of the booze-infused selections from the Robert Johnson catalogue.
'Drunken Hearted Man'
A Johnson original.
'Sloppy Drunk Blues'
Johnson recorded the Sonny Boy Williamson tune “Sloppy Drunk Blues.” This version is by Bumble Bee Slim.
'Whiskey Head Man' and 'Whiskey Head Woman'
Johnson covered a pair of songs written by Tommy McLennan, “Whiskey Head Man” and “Whiskey Head Woman.” They are virtually the same song with the gender transposed — perhaps it was an early effort at equal opportunity.
'Good Gin Blues'
If you can’t have Johnson, the next best thing has to be Mississippi John Hurt and Bukka White. Here they are with “Good Gin Blues.”
If it wasn’t that bottle of supposedly tainted moonshine that took Johnson’s life, it probably would have been another before long.
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