Reportage : Highway 61 Revisited. A journey through the Blues Country

Highway 61 Revisited. A journey through the Blues Country
24 juin 2009
Highway 61 Revisited. A journey through the Blues Country

© Cyril BITTON / Divergence

The Highway 61 run from New Orleans to Chicago. That's was the road that the blues took from acoustic music to electric music. That's also the road that people took to have a better life and to work in chicago industries. The Blues born in the mississipi delta where i met some singers and guitar players. Most of them are poor despite of being signed by a major. I follow the road and stop by some juke joint, the old houses when in the beginning of the XX century, bluesmen used to play and people used to dance. The Blues is still alive. One of the three grave of Robert Johnson In the Blues Pantheon, Robert Johnson have a special place. Some people told that he didn't play very good guitar and 2 years after he was a king of the 6 strings. Some say that he made a pact with the devil at a crossroad. We never know if it was right but today we can find 3 graves at his name. Song like "sweet home chicago, love in vain, crossroad" was covered by the blues brothers, Clapton or the rolling stones.

Mots clés : mississipi, highway 61, blues, USA, bluesman, junk joint, delta blues, music, crossroad, grave, robert Johnson

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