The Rise and Fall of Robert Johnson Destitute, rejected, and alone Robert Johnson seems to be in complete despair when singing “Crossroad Blues.” Robert is acknowledged as “The King of Delta Blues.” Born in Mississippi and known as a dirt poor African-American boy. (Robert Johnson Blues Foundation) he was recognized for his great lyrics, guitar playing and upmost contribution to artists. Robert’s songs and lyrics still live on today in artists such as; The Rolling Stones, that recorded “Love in Vain” and Stop Breaking Down, Cream, who recorded “Cross Road Blue” (renamed Crossroad), Fleetwoord Mac who recorded “Hellhound on my Trail.” (Charlton 7) Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton and the Allman Brothers, also great entertainers, recorded his songs (Robert Johnson Blues Foundation). Johnson’s lyrics expressed insatiable desire for wine, women, and song. Recordings were manufactured in makeshift studios such as hotels or office buildings (Charlton 7). Essentially Robert …show more content…
Just as the sun starts to go down the symbolization that life is coming to an end and that it is inevitable that his soul is going down to hell due to the life that he has led. As he looks to the East and West illustrating a possible way to get out of what the inevitable will be for Robert and that is dying alone with no one who cares for him. As one listens to the lyrics of “Crossroad Blues” you can’t help but feel the dismal state that Johnson is singing about and how they seem to pertain to his own personal life. Ironically, two years after Johnson recorded the “Crossroad Blues” his lifestyle was responsible for his death. At the age of twenty seven 27 years old, it was believed that he was poisoned by a woman he had possibly had an affair with of even by a scorned husband of such a woman (Biography.com). Unfortunately, for Robert Johnson being known as one of the greatest blue
Chad Johnson is making a name for himself on The Bachelorette as a villain. It turns out that it didn't all end when he was on the show, though. Reality Steve shared the news that Chad has actually done something pretty shady since the show ended to four other guys on the show.
Bo Johnson was born on June 22, 1995. Bo was a amazing police officer. Bo never would get hurt and he was really fast. He would always catch the bad guys. One day Bo was driving around New York and he got a call from the police station that there was a blizzard coming. So Bo headed back to the police station when he got to the police station the storm already hit. Bo got inside the police station and got all of his equipment and got ready to go outside but he was trapped inside the police station. Bo started digging his way out of the snow so he could get to his snowmobile. But it was too late when he was done digging his way out of the snow. Bo still knew he could still save the day. Bo did what he had to do so when Bo got to the building
Calvin Johnson has been the best wide receivers in the NFL in his whole career being 6’5” 240 he is the toughest receiver to cover and his stats prove it. As seen in the picture from CBS sports. In 2012 he had 1,964 yards which is the most ever in a season in the entire history of the NFL and with his stats not dropping that much a lot of people thought he still has a lot of time left to make an impact in his career. Except he announced a couple weeks ago saying that he was retiring at only age 30. Many people have there opinions on why he is retiring although he has not completely said why he is retiring.
Popular singer Elton John once said; “music has healing power; it has the ability to take people out of themselves for a few hours”, and for most, music is the portal to an out of body experience. African American lyricists especially have been found to use the art of music to escape the real world, commencing from the slavery era and onward. The blues song titled The Tracks of My Tears does just that; expresses the ability to remove your soul from a treacherous reality. Similarly, the lyrics from popular modern songs, written by black artists, speak volumes about what is presently going on in the country, parallel to the way African American slavery songs did. Music written at an earlier period have been found to correlate to music of the past through providing strong emotion toward present day commentary.
Have you ever wondered who the most calm, positive and creative painters of the 1960’s was? Well, it was Bob Ross. Bob Ross was one of the most inspirational people and painters of the 1960’s in the U.S. To begin, he was in the military for more than 20 years, and rose to become a medical records technician. Second, Bob learned how to paint in his time during service. He spent every minute of his spare time learning how to paint off of tv shows. Once he left the military, he had his own painting show on pbs. Lastly, Bob made a lot of money off of his products. Ross didn’t make any money off of his painting show, but he did make money off of his own line of art supplies, like brushes, and oil paints.
Many of the symbols in the novel remind Robert of his troubled past. Some of the symbols in the book appeal to both the reader and Robert, exacerbating his struggles. After finishing his training, Robert boards a ship headed for the war zone. When tasked horse injured onboard the ship, he is clearly troubled; as he is unsuccessful in killing the horse the first time, “[a] chair [falls] over in his mind” (Findley 60). The horse is a symbol of Rowena, an innocent person who dies because of her disability. During training, he feels socially obliged to go to a brothel with his peers, and experiences shame associated with the death of Rowena. Instead of watching over her, Robert was “[m]aking love to his pillows” (Findley 16). As a result, he is very insecure about his sexuality and his private life in general. The scene where he is sitting in the bathtub after Rowena’s death is symbolic of Robert giving up his childhood, concomitant with his innocence. The tub represents the womb; his mother tells him a story of his childhood one last time before he joins the army, becoming an adult in some sense. Through symbolism, one can make the connection between Robert’s troubled past, the cruel world he lives in, and his experiences in the war.
Robert Moses has become a controversial figure in urban planning. He has built many important buildings, roads, and parks that make New York City the special place it is today. However, he has destroyed many old neighborhoods and created a different sense of community. Do you think he will be remembered as a positive or negative influence on the growth and development of NYC?
As a young boy living on cotton plantations, Robert witnessed the harsh treatment of fellow black African Americans. The cruel treatment of the plantation owners continued into daily life where Johnson was received as inferior by the white general public. He received unjust segregated treatment as a result of his black skin. As a small child he watched in amazement to the powerful music of the bluesmen. In beautiful song they captured the pain of injustice which Robert, as well as most other African Americans of the time, had been forced to endure all their lives. Young Robert was intrigued by these men, and dreamed of one day singing the blues himself.
On February 5, 1788 in Lancashire, England, Robert Peel was born to his parents, Ellen Yates and Robert Peel, where he would become the eldest boy of eleven children. His family made their fortune in textile manufacture after they had dealt their hand in the weaving industry. Robert Peel was homeschooled by Rev. James Hargreaves until he was ten years old and moved to a Tamworth school in Drayton Manor. Throughout his studies at Harrow, Peel was awarded with several honors such as a double First in Classics as well as the same in Mathematics and Physics. In 1809, the young man began the long road towards his law career at Lincoln’s Inn. However, his father obtained Peel the title of Cashel in Co. Tipperary and he commenced the beginning of his life-long parliamentary career.
Troubled and alone the man described attempts to escape his past. He plays with a slow methodical rhythm. The rhythm is not happy, but more relative to the man’s experiences. Although not specified, we can infer his past was not favorable. Langston writes, “I’s gwine to quit ma frownin’ And put ma troubles on the shelf (Hughes).” The anguish of his past is overbearing and without an outlet he would likely be dead. The melancholy attitude carries through to his life and without his Blues music his overbearing emotions shine. “He slept like a rock or a man that’s dead. (Hughes).” What was optimistic lines prior turns dark in despair as he sleeps. One can infer the cycle continues day in and day out. He finds hope in the music, just like Sonny; however, once the curtains close the true emotions emerge. His expression is almost that of desperation as opposed to inspiration. His plays his past and current emotions in his music, which gives its richer and deeper vide. Instead of putting up a masquerade he plays it how it
Robert Johnson’s “Cross Road Blues” (Crossroads) released in 1937. Robert Johnson is a legend, known as a figure in defining the foundation of the birth of Blues. His blues style was also very influential in the shaping of Rock and Roll. Before his young death at the young age of 27,
It is hard to imagine the popular music industry today without themes of queerness. From Tracy Chapman to Sam Smith, Tegan and Sara to Elton John, many genres of music feature successful queer musicians who often openly sing about their own loves and desires. However, even today, these queer experiences are not widely accepted or common in the music world, and the genders of their love interests are left shrouded in lyrical ambiguity. This renders some of the blues records recorded by African-American artists nearly one hundred years ago even more surprising. Some of the incredibly famous blues queens in New York City identified as lesbian or bisexual and sometimes, albeit rarely, indicated explicitly as such in their lyrics. (Others kept their sexualities very private.) Some were married to men, some to women, but all were faced opression due to their race, gender, and sexual orientation. This playlist features songs from blues musicians of the 1920’s that focus on queer
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) has many areas that serve the country. They provide care to better their communities. The RWJF also connects with physicians, educators, case workers, nurses, caregivers, and anyone else who has a connection within the public; which will provide help to increase the well-being of their neighbors (“Our Focus Areas”, n.d.).
The blues have deep roots embedded within American history—particularly that of African American history. The history of the blues originated on Southern plantations in the 19th century and was created by slaves, ex-slaves, and descendants of slaves. They were created by individuals who endured great hardship while performing endless hours of arduous labor and blues served as a form of escapism. To these individuals, songs provided them with the strength to persevere through their struggles. Blues songs depicted individuals who persevered in the face of adversity. They were symbols of hope to those squandering in the depths of oppression. In relations to the blues, every song has a story behind it and within every story, there is something to be said. Blues artists, through their struggles, detail how they overcame hardship and laughed at the face of oppression. They defied the rules and in doing so, showed African Americans that they too are beacons of hope for the hopeless. The best blues is instinctive, cathartic, and intensely emotional. From irrepressible bliss to deep sadness, no form of music communicates more genuine emotion than that of the blues. Like many bluesmen of his day, Robert Johnson applied his craft as a lonely traveling musician on street corners and in juke joints. He was a lonely man whose songs romanticized that existence. With Johnson’s unique vocal style, haunting lyrics, and creative guitar techniques, Johnson’s innovation embodied the essence of
No black person can escape the blues, because the blues are an inherent part of the black existence in America. To be black is to be blue. The blues tell us about black people’s attempt to carve out a significant existence in a very trying situation. The purpose of the blues is to give structure to black existence in a context where color means rejection and humiliation. Suffering and its relation to blackness is inseparable from the meaning of the blues. Without pain and suffering, and what that meant for black people in Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arkansas, there would have been no blues. The blue mood means sorrow, frustration, despair, and black people’s attempt to take these existential realities upon themselves and not lose their sanity. The blues are not art for art’s sake, music for music’s sake. They are a way of life, a life-style of the black community; and the will for survival. Thus to seek to understand the blues apart from the suffering that created them is to misinterpret them and distort the very creativity that defines them (Cone, 1980).