Went Down To The Crossroads

The 101st birthday of bluesman Robert Johnson last week got me thinking about the man and his music. It also got me thinking about how “the crossroads” is a recurring theme in life.

In a previous post, I mentioned my now-legendary discovery of “Crossroads Blues” at an early age while sitting in the back of our Toyota Celica. Then, many years later, my curiosity got the better of me. In death, as much as in life, Johnson was a man of epic proportions, yet of great mysticism and legend. I wanted to learn more about the legend.

So what did I do? There was one obvious choice: to travel to Mississippi in search of the legendary crossroads at the intersection of Highways 49 and 61.

Although it was the mid-‘90s, for a brief moment I could envision the era of Robert Johnson, the juke joints, and the musicians. The blues, one of the indigenous musical genres of this country, was born there in the Mississippi Delta. I found myself driving down some lonesome roads into the middle of what seemed like nowhere in search of his grave site. I eventually found Mount Zion Church, believed to be the resting place of one Robert Johnson, King of the Delta Blues Singers. I paid my respects to the great bluesman at Mount Zion Church.

Part of the mysticism revolves around the debate of where, exactly, Johnson was laid to rest – or if the date and cause of his death are even correct. There are now three locations that are believed to have Johnson’s grave: Little Zion Missionary Baptist Church (Greenwood, MS), Payne Chapel Memorial Baptist Church (Quito, MS), and Mt. Zion Baptist Church (Morgan City, MS).

Many years after this, I had a rather profound realization. There was a prominent link between Robert Johnson and a place that was right in my own backyard: San Antonio. His first recording session was on November 23, 1936 in room 414 of the Gunter Hotel. This was the session in which he recorded “Come On In My Kitchen”, “Kind Hearted Woman Blues”, I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom”, and, yes, “Cross Road Blues”. His second recording session was in Dallas.

I'd been to places like Quito, Clarksdale and Yazoo City – but his recordings were done right here in Texas.

So off I went to San Antonio on another adventure. There it was, at yet another crossroads, at the corner of Houston and St.Mary's: the Gunter Hotel. I am sure at one time it was a beautiful hotel with chandeliers and an upper mezzanine level that overlooks the lobby. It must have been a sight to behold for Johnson in the mid '30s. There is now a historical landmark inside the lobby. Images of Johnson adorn one window case as do his records, right next to the "Robert Johnson” conference room. What a place that would be for a meeting!

My reflections on these adventures reminded me that we are always finding ourselves at new crossroads in our daily journey. We are always faced with a crossroads, a new pathway to take, a fork in the road, a decision to be made. The crossroads may bring us anxiety, it may bring us sorrow, it may bring us pain. But, it also holds all the answers, at least the answers in the here and now. We manage to find our way forward as we stand at the crossroads, and we move down the next path, whatever that might be.

For those interested in the lore and legend of Robert Johnson, I would strongly urge you to watch “The Search for Robert Johnson” and to read “Searching for Robert Johnson: The Life and Legend of the "King of the Delta Blues Singers"” by Peter Guralnik.

Photo credits: Wikipedia