Shows
Sirens of the SupernaturalCrossing Paths with the DevilA young guitarist disappears for months—and returns playing like no human ever could. They say Robert Johnson met the Devil at a lonely Mississippi crossroads—trading his soul for the sound that birthed the blues. But what really happened that night? Was it a deal, a myth, or something darker still? Join us as we journey into the Delta, where music, magic, and the supernatural collide. SOURCES (for show notes)https://www.openculture.com/2020/10/the-legend-of-how-bluesman-robert-johnson-sold-his-soul-to-the-devil-at-the-crossroads.htmlhttps://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/devil-and-robert-johnson.htm?utm_source=chatgpt.comhttps://nashvilleghosts.com/the-crossroads-the-king-of-delta-blues-the-devil/?utm_source=chatgpt.comhttps://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/04/05/crossroads/?utm_source=chat...
2025-11-241h 04
Talking Blues - Interview & Promote Blues MusiciansBruce Conforth - Robert Johnson Biographer & Blues HistorianHis landmark work is Up Jumped the Devil: The Real Life of Robert Johnson, co-authored with Gayle Dean Wardlow. The result of over 50 years of chasing documents, recordings and oral histories, it destroys the crossroads myth and brings us a more complex, brilliant—and human—Robert JohnsonIn this engaging conversation, Bruce Conforth, a lifelong bluesman and ethnomusicologist, shares his journey through the world of music, from his early influences in New Jersey to his pivotal role in the folk revival and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.He discusses the profound impact of Robe...
2025-07-0459 min
Can You Believe It?Robert Johnson & The Devil!Episode Notes
In which Robert Johnson does a deal with The Devil at the crossroads in order to become a great blues guitarist.
SOURCE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaKkzNqCPnc&t=672s
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Johnson
Up Jumped The Devil: The Real Life Of Robert Johnson by Bruce Conforth and Gayle Dean Wardlow
ReMastered: Devil At The Crossroads, director Brian Oakes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Son_House
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Johnson_recordings#Sessionography
https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/devil-and-robert-johnson.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Me_and_Mr...
2023-03-0856 min
2022-12-0904 min
Des poches sous les yeux, l'émissionEmission du 25/11/2022
A l’occasion de la Bourse aux disques et à la BD, organisée par Radio Béton, des Poches sous les yeux a déplacé son équipe de chroniqueurs à Mame. Interviews de Hervé Moisan, pour son livre Johnny et moi et de David Bérué, pour son travail d’archiviste et son label Euthanasie Records. Des chroniques : A la recherche de Gil Scott-Heron de Sébastien Piquet & Thomas Maucery, Et le diable a surgi de Bruce Conforth et Gayle Dean Wardlow, Je n’ai pas de projet professionnel de David Snuget Les tout puissants de Mirwais Ahmadzai. Diffusion de A media luz, issue...
2022-11-2256 min
Autumn's OdditiesThe 27 Club: The Devil & Robert JohnsonRobert Johnson was the inaugural member of the 27 Club. He has been called the greatest blues musician of all time and many argue he laid the foundation for what would become rock and roll. His death is contested and his life is infamous because, as rumor has it, Robert Johnson traded his soul to the devil for the ability to play the guitar.Promo: Horrifying HistorySOURCESUp Jumped the Devil: The Real Life of Robert Johnson Hardcover – June 4, 2019by Bruce Conforth (Author), Gayle Dean Wardlow (Author) https://www.ncbi.nlm.ni...
2022-04-0133 min
Paperback ReadersPaperback Readers Episode 33
It’s a different kind of episode today—the first one in which we didn’t have a shared read. But we still have some good books to share with you. All books discussed are listed below.Join us in two weeks, when our shared read will be The Making of Biblical Womanhood by Beth Allison Barr.The Ex Hex by Erin SterlingThe Lincoln Highway by Amor TowlesAs You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary ElwesUp Jumped the Devil: The Real L...
2021-11-0900 min
Unpleasant DreamsDid Robert Johnson Sell His Soul At The Crossroads?Did bluesman Robert Johnson sell his soul to the Devil himself? That is the legend of the crossroads and we explore it on this edition of Unpleasant Dreams. — Cassandra Harold is your host. EM Hilker is our principal writer and researcher with additional writing by Cassandra Harold. Jim Harold is our Executive Producer. Unpleasant Dreams is a production of Jim Harold Media. You can find the original article by EM Hilker HERE MUSIC Noé Socha (Simple Blues Boy) via Premium Beat SOURCES AND FURTHER READING Belar...
2021-10-0422 min
Text, Prose & RocknRollB Side Bonus Track: Dr. Bruce Conforth on Robert Johnson's Musical InfluenceWelcome to The B Sides! On these special Bonus tracks, we share unreleased audio clips that weren't included in the original podcast track... Today, we go back to Dr Bruce Conforth talking about Robert Johnson and the musical influence he has on music and rock 'n' roll today, from over 80 years ago. To hear the full Bruce Conforth Interview, check out Track 5 of this podcast. --We love to hear from you and yes, Text prose & RocknRoll takes requests! Please subscribe, rate, comment, then tell a friend! ...
2020-06-2304 min
Text, Prose & RocknRollTrack05 - Robert JohnsonKris is honored to welcome her guest, Ethnomusicologist, University Professor, Blues Scholar and former curator at the RocknRoll Hall of Fame, Dr. Bruce Conforth, whose painstakingly researched biography "Up Jumped the Devil: The Real Life of Robert Johnson" seeks to separate the man from the myth. Up Jumped the Devil: The Real Life of Robert Johnson us available of Chicago Review Press We love to hear from you and yes, we take requests! Please subscribe, rate, comment, then tell a friend! Special thanks to Bruce, Sam Ofman at CRP, Marcus Osborne, and Will Rot...
2020-06-1634 min
Rock N Roll LibrarianUp Jumped the Devil: The Real Life of Robert JohnsonThis episode Rock N Roll Librarian Shelley Sorenson and Rock N Roll Archaeologist Christian Swain go down the big muddy river and deep into the delta to discuss Bruce Conforth and Gayle Dean Wardlow’s new book ‘Up Jumped the Devil: The Real Life of Robert Johnson’. This time, while on our Mississippi adventure, we will play many of the few Robert Johnson recordings and couple that with samples from famous acolytes throughout the rock n roll era to show just how influential this guy was to the latter music.Robert Johnson’s recordings, made in 1936 and 1937, have profo...
2019-10-171h 27
Sound Opinions#715 The Legend of Robert JohnsonFor decades, the myths surrounding Robert Johnson overshadowed his contributions as a singer, songwriter and guitarist. From the legend that he sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads to mystery surrounding his untimely death at age 27, the truths of Johnson’s life have remained untold. This week, hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot talk with music historian Bruce Conforth about Johnson’s career, death and working to give the guitarist his identity back. They also share some of their favorite covers of Johnson's songs.
2019-08-0956 min
Sound Opinions#715 The Legend of Robert JohnsonFor decades, the myths surrounding Robert Johnson overshadowed his contributions as a singer, songwriter and guitarist. From the legend that he sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads to mystery surrounding his untimely death at age 27, the truths of Johnson’s life have remained untold. This week, hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot talk with music historian Bruce Conforth about Johnson’s career, death and working to give the guitarist his identity back. They also share some of their favorite covers of Johnson's songs.Support The Show: https://www.patreon.com/soundopinionsSee omny...
2019-08-0956 min
The TLS PodcastUnromancing the Romantics"The sociable side of nineteenth-century musical life is not acknowledged as often as it should be..." – Laura Tunbridge discusses the interconnected, complicated and often contradictory myths and realities that link Chopin, Schumann and Brahms; the TLS's music editor Lucy Dallas takes us through a selection of other pieces on music in this week's issue, including new histories of the blues and the poetic pop of Kate Bush and the Pet Shop Boys; when Irving Sandler wrote his seminal history of abstract expressionism, he neglected to mention Lee Krasner, Joan Mitchell, Helen Frankenthaler, Grace Hartigan and Elaine de Kooning – Jenni Quil...
2019-07-1853 min
Grab the Top Full Audiobooks in Biography & Memoir, Arts & EntertainmentUp Jumped the Devil: The Real Life of Robert Johnson by Gayle Dean Wardlow, Bruce ConforthPlease visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/383159 to listen full audiobooks. Title: Up Jumped the Devil: The Real Life of Robert Johnson Author: Gayle Dean Wardlow, Bruce Conforth Narrator: Leon Nixon Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 8 hours 34 minutes Release date: June 4, 2019 Ratings: Ratings of Book: 4.25 of Total 4 Ratings of Narrator: 4 of Total 2 Genres: Arts & Entertainment Publisher's Summary: Robert Johnson is the subject of the most famous myth about the blues: he allegedly sold his soul at the crossroads in exchange for his incredible talent, and this deal led to his death at age twenty-seven. But the actual story of his life...
2019-06-0430 min
Big Road Blues Radio ShowBig Road Blues Radio 8/25/13Months Ain't No Sentence: The Recordings of Lawrence Gellert and More:
The first hour of today's program is devoted to Lawrence Gellert and inspired by a new book by Bruce Conforth titled African American Folksong and American Cultural Politics: The Lawrence Gellert Story. We'll be chatting with Bruce today and playing some remarkable field recordings made by Gellert in the 30's. In the second hour of today's show we spin a mix of blues including two features that point the way to future shows; we feature a set of field recordings captured by David Evans in the 1960's with a...
2013-08-252h 00