bayous of the Delta were regarded with awe by outsiders. It was a common belief held by many that supernatural forces were present. Little is known of what occurred during this time. All that is certain, is that upon his return, Johnson had become one of the most skilled musicians to have ever played. Several speculations are made by fellow musicians to account for the reason of this sudden, drastic improvement, yet the most commonly held belief is that Johnson made a pact with the devil. It was not unheard of for some blues artists to return from a long leave with remarkable talent, claiming that they had sold themselves to the devil in exchange for the ability to play the guitar. LeDell Johnson, brother of Tommy Johnson, another greatly influential early Delta blues artists, recalls his brother’s superior guitar playing, " Now if Tom was living, he’d tell you. He said the reason he knowed so much, said he sold hisself to the devil… That’s the way I learned to play anything I want." (Guralnick, 18)Son House thoroughly believed Robert Johnson had done the same. "So then he went off one day, say he goin to Arkansas and, when he come back, he was struttin," Son House recalls Robert’s return. "Guitar slung round his shoulders and four or five harmonicas stuck in a grate big broad belt round his waist." Son and his musical companion Willie Brown laughed at first, and mockingly offered Johnson the floor. Son House and Willie Brown were taken aback by the marvelous skill that rang forth from the guitar. "And play, that boy could play more blues than air one of us." (Lomax, 16). This was the beginning of Robert’s wild, mystical life as a bluesman. And thus, Robert’s travels began. He stayed for about a week in Robinsonville and then set out on the road, visiting such places as St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit, and New York (all the while using Memphis, Greenwood, and Robinsonville as his b...
