@nomadlocal: Robert Johnson is a familiar name in the Blues music industry, he’s not only known for his musical talent but also for the mysteries that surround his death, his missing body, unknown grave and a pact he made with the Devil. Johnson’s music is considered to have inspired many musical talents from Elvis to Elton, and those that thought it wise to record a Johnson song found themselves on the receiving end of the Crossroads Curse. Johnson when just a young man is said to have met the Devil at the junctions of Hwy 8 and Hwy 1 in Rosedale Mississippi. There the Devil played Johnson’s guitar and transferred to him the magic to play the blues at the cost of his soul. Johnson was thought to have then met up with a Crossroad Demon in Clarksdale that escorted Johnson into the local Blues clubs and secured his spot in history. Johnson died after being poisoned at the age of 27, leaving behind a son. His body however has been reported to have been buried and burned and possibly in three locations. Johnson’s three tombstones are towns apart and no one is sure if he is actually in any of them, as Johnson’s death was reported 30 years after his passing. Those artist who have sought to record his crossroad songs on their albums or tried to perform them, have been faced with the curse of his fame and have had tragedies bestowed onto them or someone they loved. Robert Johnson’s legacy continues on with his six grandchildren and in the National Archives of sounds where his music is recorded for all to hear. The towns of Rosedale and Clarksdale seem to have had its run of curses as well, as once Johnson passed so did the glory of the towns. Both Crossroads locations have since been paved over but the one in Clarksdale has a sign to mark its once famous hay day and its famous strip is nothing more than empty buildings and crumbling walls. Rosedale is also nothing more than a town of empty shells of the past.

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