Hellhounds on my trail - Robt Johnson story & docu

Subject: Hellhounds on my trail
From: Fireballs
Date: 22 Dec 99 - 10:29 AM

Can anyone tell me the name of the author of a biographical short story about Robert Johnson which I believe is called 'Stones in my passway, Hellhounds on my trail'? I could be wrong on the title but as far as I remember it is a combination of the two song titles. I've been trying to find the piece for a couple of days but no joy yet. Anyone got interesting insights into Hoodoo and the Blues?

Subject: RE: Hellhounds on my trail
From:
Date: 22 Dec 99 - 10:37 AM

Hey Fireballs:

I went to the Chapters website and did a search for Robert Johnson. Here's what it turned up.

Click here

Hope the one you want is in there.

Paul

Subject: RE: Hellhounds on my trail
From: Fireballs
Date: 22 Dec 99 - 10:50 AM

Thanks Paul, I just scanned through your search results. Unfortunately what I am looking for is just a short story and not a book title. If I remember correctly ( and I may not) the name Robert Johnson may not actually appear in the text of the story and is not that useful in performing a search. When using the title in searches a long list of blues anthologies, histories and so on is produced which has'nt proved very helpful. Thanks for the reply though. Fireballs

Subject: RE: Hellhounds on my trail
From: katlaughing
Date: 22 Dec 99 - 11:46 AM

Evidently, this is a book which has a short story about Johnson in it:

Hellhounds on my Trail

by R. Gary Patterson

Hellhounds on My Trail is a riveting look at a broad cross-section of musicians, their mysterious deaths, and strange coincidences. It is an exploration of the untimely and tragic deaths of musicians throughout this century, including legendary bluesman Robert Johnson, Elvis Presley, John Bonham, Buddy Holly, Gram Parsons, Jerry Garcia, Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, Jim Morrison, and others. Will appeal to a wide variety of music fans

New details about some of music's legends who've predicted their own deaths

There is also a documentary called "Hellhounds on my trail: the afterlife os Robert Johnson" which is very recent. You can read about it here.

Hope this helps.

katlaughing

Subject: RE: Hellhounds on my trail
From: Fireballs
Date: 22 Dec 99 - 12:42 PM

Thanks Katlaughing

Subject: RE: Hellhounds on my trail
From: katlaughing
Date: 22 Dec 99 - 12:54 PM

Happy to be of help. Was that the one you were looking for?

kat

Subject: RE: Hellhounds on my trail
From: Fireballs
Date: 23 Dec 99 - 06:33 AM

I've finally located what I was looking for courtesy of my old English professor. Its a short story by T. Correghesan Boyle entitled 'Stones in my passway, hellhounds on my trail'. Its well worth a read. I intend to have a look for the work by R. Gary Patterson which you mentioned also. Thanks for the help. Fireballs

Subject: RE: Hellhounds on my trail
From: katlaughing
Date: 23 Nov 02 - 08:01 PM

Just had the pleasure of seeing the documentary of this same name. Cable was showing it on the True Stories West channel. They had several old timers on including Robert Johnson's step-son, Robert Lockwood, Jr. We really enjoyed it, though I have to say I didn't care for the rock renditions near as much as the pureness of just guitar and voice.

I'd be interested in hearing what some of the rest of you thought of it, esp. those of you who know more about it than me.

Thanks,

kat

Subject: RE: Hellhounds on my trail
From: khandu
Date: 23 Nov 02 - 08:20 PM

An interesting footnote; Earlier this year, a gravestone was placed on (one of) the grave(s) of Robert Johnson at a church on Money Road near Greenwood, MS.

Upon the stone was a facsimile of a note Robert Johnson supposedly wrote to his sister as he was dying. The note, in effect, renounced the "deal" he had made and declared Jesus as his Saviour.

The note was reported to have been given by Johnson's sister to the one who had the stone made.

Hopefully, over the holidays, I will be able to visit this grave and make photos of the marker. When I do, I will share them with anyone interested.

khandu

Subject: RE: Hellhounds on my trail
From: katlaughing
Date: 24 Nov 02 - 01:33 PM

Thanks, khandu. Maybe you could send a picture of it to Pene for inclusion on the tribute page to Johnson?

In the docu I saw they said there are actually two graves with his name on them; no one, at the time of its filming, knew which was the real one. Also, they mentioned his sister (I can't remember if she was on it or not; I missed the first half hour. Is she still alive?), but nothing about a note, though it seems there is a lot out there which keeps coming to light. They did pretty much posit that he died of syphilis rather than poison. One of his old friends said he wouldn't deny, but it just didn't seem right/proper to say anything about the disease.

One thing I did wish as I watched all of the other musicians interpret his songs: I wanted to hear our MAX giving Johnson's songs his own spin. I miss hearing you, Max!!

Thanks,

kat

Subject: RE: Hellhounds on my trail - Robt Johnson documentary
From: katlaughing
Date: 25 Nov 02 - 11:04 AM

Anyone else see this?

Subject: RE: Hellhounds on my trail - Robt Johnson documentary
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 25 Nov 02 - 11:17 AM

Nope, sure would like to though.

Subject: RE: Hellhounds on my trail - Robt Johnson documentary
From: katlaughing
Date: 25 Nov 02 - 11:44 AM

Thanks, Steve. I just checked the True Stories website and it is supposed to air, again, on the 27th at 835a, which I take to mean Mudcat time/Eastern time. Here's the blurb about it, though there were lots more people in it than what they list:

Director: ROBERT MUGGE. 1999
Genre: Documentary, Musical
The life and music of blues legend Robert Johnson is celebrated through performance and historical accounts. Bob Weir, Rob Wasserman, Peter Green

Subject: RE: Hellhounds on my trail - Robt Johnson document
From: GUEST,PJ Curtis
Date: 25 Nov 02 - 01:12 PM

Interesting thread., Last Sat 23rd Nov. saw the 66 aniv of Robt Johnsons first recordings in S. Antonio Tx. He recorded 5 classic blues on that day. An extraordinary figure in 20th Century music.
PJC

Subject: RE: Hellhounds on my trail - Robt Johnson documentary
From: masato sakurai
Date: 25 Nov 02 - 06:11 PM

According to this site, the author is T. Coraghessan Boyle; "Stones in My Passway, Hellhound on My Trail" is in GREASY LAKE AND OTHER STORIES (1985); it originally appeared in TriQuarterly 46 (Fall 1979): 42-48.
~Masato

Subject: RE: Hellhounds on my trail - Robt Johnson documentary
From: Bobert
Date: 25 Nov 02 - 06:34 PM

Actually, from waht I know of Robert Johnson, from the likes of John Sinclair (as in "Free John Sinclair" fame0 My man Sparkey Rucker and what I've read, it wasn't Robert Johnson who had a "deal with the devil" but Tommy Johnson some years earlier.

Robert, however, was deeply talented and handsome man and had some problems with the womenz, ahhh, one of which brought about his poisoning by a jealous husband of one of these women.

But no "deals". I believe where the "deal" rumor got started was after Robert diasappeared for two years leaving as a poor guitar player and returning as a much improved musican, folks satrted wonderin' how he got so good so fast. So thus... the "deal"... in the eyes of others. Not Robert.

Bobert

Subject: RE: Hellhounds on my trail - Robt Johnson story & docu
From: katlaughing
Date: 25 Nov 02 - 07:12 PM

That's what they said in the documentary, Bobert, that he'd gone away when known as failry poor at playing and then came back with this unexplainable gift. The "deal" helped explain it to folks.

Also, the general consensus was, among those who knew him and were still alive for this docu and the scholars, was that he didn't die of poison, but of complications from a "social disease." :-)

Subject: RE: Hellhounds on my trail - Robt Johnson story & docu
From: Bobert
Date: 25 Nov 02 - 08:54 PM

Well, Kat, the "social disease" may hvew been a factor but the bad hootch, laced with arsenic certainlu didn't help. I mean, he seemed fine three days ealier and was in good spirits and playing and funnin and carryin' on and then he was, ahhhh, dead. Usually don't happen that fast from a "social disease".

Yeah, I reckon the "social disease" he had was gettin' a tad to "social" with another dude's woman... and some bad sh*t that he should have never ingested...

But I have heard those theories... but they don't add up... Poison does...

Bobert

Subject: RE: Hellhounds on my trail - Robt Johnson story & docu
From: Brian Hoskin
Date: 26 Nov 02 - 05:54 AM

You can read about the possibility that Johnson's death was the result of syphilis in Gayle Dean Wardlow's (1998) book Chasin' That Devil Music. The suggestion was that Johnson's death may have been due to an aneurysm brought on through congenital syphilis (and therefore not a 'social disease'), which could have been exacerbated through drinking moonshine, or indeed poison!

A section of the book also explores the selling his soul to the devil story, on which Wardlow's editor Ed Komara writes:

"The present-day myth that Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil at a cross road in exchange for phenomenal guitar skills has no single source. This tall tale was developed in full view by blues writers, not in private by unnamed folk."

It's an interesting read.

Brian

Subject: RE: Hellhounds on my trail - Robt Johnson story & docu
From: Mudlark
Date: 26 Nov 03 - 01:35 AM

I just saw this documentary. Fascinating, especially the interview with Coffee, but Ihave to agree with you, Kat, the acoustic stuff a lot more appealing. Interesting how far some of the rock type musicians have strayed from the original blues style. Roy Rodgers was pretty impressive, tho! I was intrigued by the bassist for Govt Mule and his instrument...what the heck is that called? Looked like a string base w/o a body and 6 strings.

Subject: RE: Hellhounds on my trail - Robt Johnson story & docu
From: Cluin
Date: 26 Nov 03 - 02:46 AM

I read "R.L.'s Dream" by Walter Mosely a couple of years ago. The main character in this work of fiction was an old dying bluesman, Soupspoon Wise, who was a friend and sometimes musical partner of Johnson in his youth.
Pretty good read, but all Mosely's books are.
The R.L. of the book is Robert Johnson.

Subject: RE: Hellhounds on my trail - Robt Johnson story & docu
From: Coyote Breath
Date: 26 Nov 03 - 10:28 PM

I'm inclined to believe that the myth about Robert Johnson's seling of his soul to the devil came from Tommy Johnson's claim (boast) that he was as good a musician as he was because he sold his soul to the devil and did so "at the crossroads at midnight". But it also could be that Tommy Johnson claimed what he claimed because of the myth about Robert Johnson having done so. It would be interesting to find out just when these "competing" claims were made. It is also possible that "selling your soul" in order to acquire great skill as a musician is a folk saying rather than a story. Meaning that other musicians over the years have had it said of them that they sold their souls to achieve their skills. The two Johnsons were unique and important musicians. Robert's early death and Tommy's severe alcolhol addiction probably added to the weight of the myths.

Friend of mine "went off for two years" to learn the fiddle. Stayed by himself in a remote rural setting and worked and worked at acquiring his skill. He is a truly fine fiddler these days. I'll have to ask him about soul selling. Knowing him I am sure he did some soul searching.

CB

Subject: RE: Hellhounds on my trail - Robt Johnson story & docu
From: Stewie
Date: 27 Nov 03 - 02:11 AM

I can't see this mentioned above. Keep an eye out for Peter Meyer's documentary film 'Can't You Hear the Wind Howl?'. I caught most of it on ABC or SBS (Oz) television late one night earlier this year and have been hoping for a repeat. Excellent documentary on Johnson.

--Stewie.