Robert Johnson-The Complete Recordings 1936-1937 (1990)

Throughout the early days of rock and roll, we can cite strategic locations that were part of its initial origins, emblematic places like Nashville, Memphis, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Delta. It was precisely in this last area, located in the Deep South of the United States, that the figure of Robert Johnson emerged, a folk and blues singer-songwriter who, with barely a handful of songs officially recorded, became a legend. Johnson was discovered late in life and only set foot in a recording studio twice. His life, marked by numerous tragedies, including his own death, which wasn't clarified until almost three decades later, and his appearances and disappearances from the stage, gave him the aura of a supernatural legend. For some time, Johnson had been performing in many bars in the seedy underbelly of the American South. However, his performances were truly awful, to the point that he was eventually banned from all those places. One day he disappeared without a trace, until many months later he reappeared with a talent that would astonish everyone. The legend that circulated at the time was that Johnson sold his soul to the devil in exchange for great musical talent, playing guitar and composing songs. During that time, he recorded about thirty songs, the only ones that have survived from his small repertoire, in which he speaks of demonic apparitions and the selling of souls. Shortly afterward, Johnson died, and no one knows the exact cause of his death. His death, officially recorded at age 27, is considered the first of the so-called "27 Club," which also includes Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Brian Jones, Amy Winehouse, and Kurt Cobain. Rock greats such as Johnny Winter, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Cream, The Rolling Stones, and John Mayall, among many others, always considered Robert Johnson their main influence. In 1990, Columbia Records released a double album containing all of Robert Johnson's known recordings, which won the Grammy Award for Best Historical Album.