The Centennial Collection Archives

Album: The Centennial Collection
Year: 1937

. . .

Of course, like most rockboys of my generation, I came to Robert Johnson’s music through second-hand sources. The Rolling Stones “Love in Vain,” (shamefully credited to “Woody Payne” on Let It Bleed), Cream’s cover of “Cross Roads Blues,” (or more accurately, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s cover of Cream’s “Crossroads,”), the, um, er Blues Brothers cover of “Sweet Home Chicago”, and so on and so forth.

And while the Johnson covers dried up as the years went on, there were still the occasional great ones, like Gil Scott-Heron’s utterly chilling take on “Me and The Devil Blues” that somehow updated the original while still retaining all of the darkness.

Album: The Centennial Collection
Year: 1936

. . .

This is probably the oldest song I’m going to cover on Certain Songs. I’m not going to say that it’s the oldest song I love — after all, both “Wild Mountain Thyme” and “La Bamba” probably go back centuries — but, with the possible exception of something from one of the Harry Smith anthologies, it’s the oldest captured performance that resonates with me.

“Kind Hearted Woman Blues” was the very first song that famed country producer Don Law — a great reminder at how musically artificial some of the divides of American popular music truly are — recorded with Johnston after Law probably walked up to him and said, “here I am, let’s make records!” And the first result was a timeless tale of lust, frustration and infidelity.

The Centennial Collection

Certain Songs #1946: Robert Johnson – “Stop Breakin’ Down Blues”

Certain Songs #1944: Robert Johnson – “Kind Hearted Woman Blues”