The Reason We Know Robert Johnson

Robert Johnson had the myth: He gave his soul to the devil, and the devil gave him the blues. But he never had the money, and neither did his descendants. Johnson died at the age of 27 in 1938; nobody thought much about his copyrights until a record-shop owner called Larry LaVere took an interest 30 years later, and persuaded Johnson’s half-sister to sign away her rights. LaVere turned Johnson’s recordings into an evergreen best-selling CD set. “LaVere got a deal such as nobody I’ve ever heard of getting in the history of the business. I have no axe to grind with him, but it boggles the mind.” 

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From Memphis Rent Party: The Blues, Rock & Roll in Music’s Hometown by Robert Gordon

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