Alleged Video Footage Of Robert Johnson

if johnson died in 1938, then he was dead for 4 years when this was shot.

I bet there were plenty of super talented musicians all over rural black south in those days that stayed completely under the radar.  Robert Johnson was able to get in with some of the pro traveling musicians and get himself recorded, and now we all know who he is.  But imagine all the folks who were just (or almost) as good!  imagine all the amazing styles and songs that were lost to history before recording became accessible.  the mystery bluesman makes ya think

"I don't care how many times you look at this film, it aint never gonna be Robert Johnson." - Robert Lockwood

I am a Cali kid but I spent my summers in the 80’s, in Mississippi at my grandmothers house. There was an old man by the name of Quily Womack, who played just like this.He had an old Sear’s guitar from what I remember. He had to be around 80 then.He told me he had seen Robert Johnson at a juke house a few times. From what I understand, there were a lot of blue’s players in every city in the south at that time, just like there are many gifted musicians in every “hood” in America today. Not all of them are known like Robert or John Lee Hooker. I think I met one.

I appreciate how they didn't try to bullshit anything. They aknowledge it cannot be Robert Johnson but still a really interesting video and a rare look into the time period.

So if he died in ‘38 and the film was shot in ‘42 I guess that settles it... Robert Johnson’s ghost.

R.I.P. Robert Johnson (1911-1938)

He's got the fingers and he is playing like a madman.

Only way some people will acept this as Robert Johnson is if it was filmed at a crossroads and the guy is down on his knees drawing an inverted pentagram and sacrificing a burning guitar.

I personally talked to Honeyboy Edwards a few years before his passing. He identified the man in this video as "Clarence"...no last name given. HBE said that he knew him because, "He used to date my sister." I take him for his word, since he (HBE) was about the closest to RJ as you can get.

It's clearly Stevie Ray Vaughan.

all I know about the dude in the footage is that he's a straight up G

I met Henry Townsend here in St. Louis a bunch of times.. this was his home town for most of his life. Saw him play, for sure. I was at his 96th birthday party, and have pictures to prove it. He got onstage and played guitar, some piano, and sang some. He is the only confirmed person, on earth, ever, to play on records in 9 different decades! He recorded from 1929, until the early 2000's. Fact.

Robert Johnson didn't sell his soul. He left for 6 months to prtactice. 6 months of nonstop practice will make anyone good.

I love the line from Robert Lockwood. I don't care how many times you look at this film it ain't never gonna be Robert Johnson.

There is no actual footage of Johnson playing ☹️

there are NO videos of THE Robert Johnson performing

It's too bad that the footage is presented with interruptions for commentary. Is the original video available from start to finish without the interruptions from academics?

LaVere died in 2015. McCormick died 6 week before LaVere did. There're currently figuring out what to do with McComicks enormous archive. It has at least one unpublished photograph of Robert Jonson I know for a fact.

Robert Johnson died in 1938. This was filmed in 1942. Your headline is misleading.