Tommy Johnson was a hugely prominent blues gamer and likewise may be the source of one of the most long-lasting legends of the blues– the Devil and the Crossroads.
While this legend is in some cases connected with Robert Johnson (no relation), it was Tommy Johnson who first cultivated a story about himself that he satisfied the devil at a crossroads, and offered his soul in exchange for his musical capability.
He did have powerful musical talents and was a flamboyant performer, understood for playing guitar behind his back, between his legs, tossing it up in the air. He only made a couple of dozen recordings in between 1928 and 1930, but his aggressive guitar style and substantial voice, with it’s eerie falsetto are unmistakably core Delta blues.
Johnson’s recording in 1928 of “Huge Road Blues” exhibits this design.
I’m playing a Harmony Sovereign of around 1970
Drop D tuning, key of D.
Lesson on my version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yeDz2t6v4Q.
