Robert Johnson, Father of Modern Music

 Everyone, we're going to take a break from today's stories of economic hardship, war in the middle east, and Michael Jackson, and talk about a true legend of music.  Sadly, not many young people these days know of Robert Johnson.  The fact is, regardless of what kind of music you listen to, if its roots come from the early 20th century, odds are Robert Johnson influenced it quite a bit.  Robert Johnson was born May 11, 1911 in Mississippi into an extremely poor community.  Now the fact is no one knows much about Robert in the early part of his life.  What is known is that, during the early parts of his life, Robert was an average guitar player, if that.  As the legend goes, however, Robert sold his sold to the devil at a crossroads late one night.  He sat at the crossroads, and a dark figure approached.  Without looking at the devil, Robert handed him the guitar.  The devil tuned it so Robert could play it better than any man alive.  He returned to his small town and could play the guitar unbelievably.  As the legend goes, he was an amazing preformer, but deeply afflicted.  He died at a very young age of 27 in August of 1938.  As fans that witnessed his last show said, it looked like that night, the devil was coming to collect his due, as Robert seemed deeply disturbed that night.  His legend is something not even the devil could take though.  His works influenced nearly every major music star of the 20th and 21st century, whether directly or indirectly.  Everyone from Muddy Waters and Etta James, to the Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton.  His music even greatly influenced Rap and R&B stars of today.  If you are reading this, and you ever have the opportunity, please look up his music, listen to his battle against the devil, and appreciate his influence on modern music and entertainment.