The Search for Robert Johnsnon

AMG Review of The Search for Robert Johnsnon

Adrian Zupp
All Music Guide

The story of Robert Johnson is one of the most intriguing in the history of lues and its demon child, ock & roll. His life and death are cloaked in myth and mystery, increasingly romanticized with each new generation of lues devotees. The truth, as this DVD succinctly demonstrates, is that relatively little is really known about the brilliant young Delta bluesman who, legend has it, sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads in exchange for guitar mastery. Even the source of that tale is in dispute, although contemporaries of Johnson's interviewed for this documentary claim that it came from his own lips. Latter-day bluesman John Hammond Jr. has done a good job of retracing at least some of the restless Johnson's footsteps and assembling as much living testimony as he can. Underpinning the narrative, interviews, and legwork is the stunning music of Robert Johnson -- whether lifted from his own recordings or rendered by Hammond "on location." Done with an eye to fidelity rather than drama, The Search For Robert Johnson is a more than worthy addition to any serious music fan's CD/DVD collection. At 72 minutes, it doesn't aim to be exhaustive, and would have been tedious if it had. (There are sufficient books available for those seeking greater detail.) But it is sincere, well sourced, and atmospheric enough to be both informative and entertaining.