Robert Johnson's recordings, made in 1936 and 1937, have profoundly influenced generations of singers, guitarists, and songwriters. Yet until now, his short life-he was murdered at the age of 27-has been poorly documented. Gayle Dean Wardlow has been interviewing people who knew Johnson since the early 1960s, and he was the person who discovered Johnson's death certificate in 1967. Bruce Conforth began his study of Johnson's life and music in 1970 and made it his mission to fill in what was still unknown about him. In this definitive biography, the two authors relied on every interview, resource, and document, much of it material no one has seen before. This is the first book about Johnson that documents his lifelong relationship with family and friends in Memphis, details his trip to New York, uncovers where and when his wife Virginia died and the impact this had on him, fully portrays the other women Johnson was involved with, and tells exactly how and why he died and who gave him the poison that killed him. Up Jumped the Devil will astonish blues fans worldwide by painting a living, breathing portrait of a man who was heretofore little more than a legend.
Robert Johnsons innspillinger, tatt opp i 1936 og 1937, har hatt stor innflytelse på generasjoner av sangere, gitarister og tekstforfattere. Men likevel har hans korte liv - han ble myrdet i en alder av 27 år - vært dårlig dokumentert. Gayle Dean Wardlow har intervjuet folk som kjente Johnson siden tidlig på 60-tallet, og var den som oppdaget Johnsons dødsattest i 1967. Bruce Conforth begynte sin studie av Johnsons liv og musikk i 1970 og gjorde det hans oppdrag å fylle ut det som ennå var ukjent om ham. Dette er den første boken om Robert Johnson som dokumenterer hans livslange forhold med familie og venner i Memphis, som beskriver reisen hans til New York, avdekker hvor og når hans kone Virginia døde og hvordan det påvirket ham, og forteller nøyaktig hvordan og hvorfor han døde, og hvem som ga ham giften som drepte ham.
