Somewhere along a lonely Mississippi highway, the story goes, a young bluesman met the devil at a crossroads and traded his soul for the ability to play guitar like no one before him. Truth? Folklore? Nearly ninety years after Robert Johnson’s mysterious death, the legend still haunts American music. This Friday on Deeper Roots, we’re chasing that legend down Highway 61, through tales of devilish bargains, restless spirits, haunted souls, and the musicians who kept the mystery alive. From Johnny Winter and Lucinda Williams to Tom Waits, the Handsome Family, and Johnny Cash, it’s two hours of dark Americana, blues, and musical storytelling. We won’t hear a single Robert Johnson recording, but his shadow will be everywhere.
| No. | Artist | Title | Album | Year | Start At |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johnny Winter | Highway 61 Revisited | White Hot Blues | 1997 | 00:00 |
| 2 | The Charlie Daniels Band | The Devil Went Down To Georgia | A Decade Of Hits | 1979 | 07:35 |
| 3 | Steve Earle | The Devil's Right Hand | Copperhead Road | 1988 | 11:09 |
| 4 | Tom Waits | Way Down In The Hole | Franks Wild Years | 1987 | 14:06 |
| 5 | John Hammond Jr. | Cross Road Blues | At The Crossroads : Blues Of Robert Johnson | 2003 | 17:33 |
| 6 | Lucinda Williams | 2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten | Car Wheels on a Gravel Road | 1998 | 20:34 |
| 7 | John Lee Hooker & Ben Harper | Burnin' Hell | The Best Of Friends | 1998 | 29:42 |
| 8 | Robert Nighthawk And Houston Stackhouse | Black Angel Blues | Masters Of Modern Blues | 1994 | 34:35 |
| 9 | Howlin' Wolf | Evil (Is Going On) | Smokestack Lightning /The Complete Chess Masters 1951-1960 | 1954 | 38:03 |
| 10 | Johnny Cash | Ain't No Grave | American VI: Ain't No Grave | 2010 | 40:53 |
| 11 | The Handsome Family | The Bottomless Hole | Singing Bones | 2003 | 43:39 |
| 12 | Robert Lockwood Jr. | 32-20 Blues | Delta Crossroads | 2000 | 51:12 |
| 13 | Johnny Shines Blues Band | Dynaflow Blues | Blues Masters Vol. 15: Slide Guitar Classics | 1993 | 54:20 |
| 14 | David Honey Boy Edwards | Sweet Home Chicago | Blues Blues: December 10th 1975 | 1975 | 56:53 |
| 15 | Ry Cooder | Willie Brown Blues | Crossroads | 1986 | 1:01:04 |
| 16 | R. L. Burnside & The Sound Machine | Going Away Baby | MOJO #332 – The Black Keys Present The Hill Country Blues | 2021 | 1:08:19 |
| 17 | North Mississippi Allstars | Po Black Maddie | Shake Hands With Shorty | 2000 | 1:12:42 |
| 18 | Lucinda Williams | Car Wheels on a Gravel Road | Car Wheels on a Gravel Road | 1998 | 1:17:13 |
| 19 | Lights Out By Nine | Feel Like Robert Johnson (Pt. 1) | Good Morning Mr. Universe | 2003 | 1:24:26 |
| 20 | Al Hughes | Feel Like Robert Johnson (Part2) | Conversations With The Blues | 2006 | 1:28:35 |
| 21 | The Devil Makes Three | Old Number Seven | The Devil Makes Three | 2002 | 1:32:38 |
| 22 | Tom Waits | God's Away on Business | Blood Money | 2002 | 1:35:49 |
| 23 | The White Stripes | Death Letter | The White Stripes Greatest Hits | 2020 | 1:38:47 |
| 24 | The Handsome Family | Weightless Again | Through the Trees | 1998 | 1:43:13 |
| 25 | Johnny Cash | The Man Comes Around | American IV: Man Comes Around | 2002 | 1:46:47 |
| 26 | The Allman Brothers Band | Statesboro Blues [Live] | Stand Back: The Anthology Disc 1 | 2004 | 1:54:48 |
