Beyond the Crossroads: The Devil and the Blues Tradition

The devil is not just the music’s namesake (“the devil’s music”), but a shadowy presence who haunts an imagined Mississippi crossroads where, it is claimed, Delta bluesman Robert Johnson traded away his soul in exchange for extraordinary prowess on the guitar. Yet, as scholar and musician Adam Gussow (University of Mississippi) argues, there is much more to the story of the devil and the blues than these clichéd understandings.

Gussow’s partner in The Blues Doctors, Alan Gross, will join him for some live blues.