{"product_id":"up-jumped-the-devil-the-real-life-of-robert-johnson-9781641609012","title":"Up Jumped the Devil: The Real Life of Robert Johnson","description":"\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Penderyn 2020 Music Book Prize (UK edition)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLiving Blues Critics Choice Best Blues Book of 2019\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLiving Blues Readers Choice Best Blues Book of 2019\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCertificate of Merit in the Best Historical Research in Recorded Blues, Soul, Gospel, or R\u0026amp;B category from ARSC (Association for Recorded Sound Collections)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn essential story of blues lore, black culture, and American music history\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eRobert Johnson's recordings, made in 1936 and 1937, have profoundly influenced generations of singers, guitarists, and songwriters. Yet until now, his short life--he was murdered at the age of 27--has been poorly documented. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Gayle Dean Wardlow has been interviewing people who knew Johnson since the early 1960s, and he was the person who discovered Johnson's death certificate in 1967. Bruce Conforth began his study of Johnson's life and music in 1970 and made it his mission to fill in what was still unknown about him. In this definitive biography, the two authors relied on every interview, resource, and document, much of it \u003cb\u003ematerial no one has seen before\u003c\/b\u003e. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e This is the first book about Johnson that documents his lifelong relationship with family and friends in Memphis, details his trip to New York, uncovers where and when his wife Virginia died and the impact this had on him, fully portrays the other women Johnson was involved with and tells exactly how and why he died and who gave him the poison that killed him. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eUp Jumped the Devil\u003c\/i\u003e will astonish blues fans worldwide by painting a living, breathing portrait of a man who was heretofore little more than a legend.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBruce Conforth\u003c\/b\u003e, former professor of folklore, blues, popular culture, and American history at the University of Michigan. He was also the founding curator of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan. \u003cb\u003eGayle Dean Wardlow \u003c\/b\u003eis a highly regarded blues historian who has amassed the world's largest collection of prewar blues records. His book \u003ci\u003eChasin' That Devil Music \u003c\/i\u003eis a classic of blues literature. He lives in Pensacola, Florida. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Chicago Review Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50719506268434,"sku":"9781641609012","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_cb1a2f48-6450-4493-984d-7d1af887fc40.jpg?v=1737262460","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/up-jumped-the-devil-the-real-life-of-robert-johnson-9781641609012","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}