The Search for Robert Johnson

This is like a high school film-making assignment on ghosts. And like such a film, nothing salient is discovered. For one of the most seminal bluesmen, if not THE most seminal, this film doesn’t uncover anything that sheds light on Johnson as an artist. If you want to learn more real info on the Delta blues, go to Jazz Fest in New Orleans (last wknd in April, first wknd in May). Skip the headliners for the most part, and head to the smaller venues where you can see musicians who are blue to the bone. They’ll gladly talk to you about their influences and roots, why they love their music, and why they’d love playing to a porch with a cat!I’d skip this and come out other films on Johnson that reveal more than where he “really might be buried” or who his illegitimate offspring might be.

Just the legend of Robert Johnson would probably cost a record company 1/2 a million to re-create today! LOL Can you imagine A, B, or C selling his soul to the devil, at the crossroads, having phenomenal skill, as a guitarist, and poet (lyrics cut to the bone), then the devil comes knocking and he opens the door. And pays the pawn-ticket with his soul! There are other, lesser, stars Elvis, John Lennon, Stevie Ray, and thousands of others, but nobody died like Robert J!

This is an interesting adventure with some good interviews of people that actually knew Robert Johnson. I have been to the gravesite in Greenwood Mississippi and to the crossroads in Clarksdale, so have done my own small search for Robert Johnson. The documentary is certainly dated, but still useful in the search. It would be nice to have a current version 2.0 of the search with more current information. I suspect the story will only get better with time.

I'm a long-time owner of the "other" Robert Johnson DVD, Can't You Hear The Wind Howl." Obviously, I was wondering if there was going to be much duplication of material between that and the "Search For" DVD when I finally decided to buy the latter. I wasn't disappointed. While "Can't You Hear..." is in itself a fine piece of work, this DVD touches on some details of Robert Johnson's life not covered in "Can't You Hear...". John Hammond's interviews with Mack McCormick and the apparent son of Robert Johnson are particularly fascinating highlights of this film. As a result, I recommend all R.J. fans owning both DVD's--they complement each other well. As for John Hammond's intermittent performances of Johnson's songs, I thoroughly enjoyed them. The only corny part of the movie is when Hammond and Johnny Shines pretend to "cut heads" on the street--not too authentic, obviously, but I guess they were just trying to illustrate the concept. Well worth the price--buy this!!

Go along with John Hammond and explore the myth surrounding legendary Blues musician Robert Johnson. Check out Hammond's bio on wikipedia. Interesting background there. Anyway, it is an interesting trip to the countryside of Mississippi and Arkansas and back in time as Hammond actually goes to the very locations Robert Johnson lived and played. You meet a former girlfriend and some of Johnson's possible descendants. The mysterious and infamous death of Johnson is examined as is the comical (to my mind) much rumored "deal with the devil" at the crossroads. Hammond is a cool guy to tag along with and is clearly in love with the music and history he explores. I recommend this unique exploration of an original American icon.

Amazing production, I have got it and I have been watching this for almost six times now as every time I see it, I discover new interesting things about Robert Johnson. John Hammond takes us to all insights with full Blues knowledge. This is a must for Blues lovers.

The rock stars mentioned only appear to endorse the significance of Robert Johnson as the bedrock artist of the blues. The dvd is a remarkably researched biography. It takes the legend and makes him a flesh and blood man. Interviews with family, friends, band mates, and old girlfriends. Full of his music. Great!!

Great story, more people need to know about Robert Johnson. Going to the source for so much of the information was a great way to tell this story.

The mystery surrounding Robert Johnson's life and death is about as famous, or indeed infamous as his music, and the now legendary 29 tracks he recorded. Also legendary how The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin et al, covered many of his songs way back, and at one point, Eric Clapton, being such an ambassador for both the man and his music, wouldn't speak to anyone who didn't know who Robert Johnson was.Most of my peers' on the local 'Granddad Rocks' circuit around here not only know who the man is, but also why he was and still is so important in shaping the sound of the music scene even today; and any excuse for not having an album with those 29 tracks on in the collection just isn't good enough - if you're a rocker, it's a MUST!So too this DVD. TV documentary suited as it most certainly is, for the price you may as well have a copy sitting on the shelf as wait until it turns up on the Biography Channel; because you know as well as I do, us Granddad Rocks generation boys rarely, if ever, get ANYTHING on the Biography Channel worth getting excited over, so don't hold your breath, click and buy one.It's a pretty good and well filmed and hosted doc, and at least the host, John Hammond, is a guitarist who's reading from the same page as you and I, and his enthusiasm in finding Robert's trail is as keen and fresh as our own would be were we in his shoes.Thankfully, some of the people who knew Johnson personally are interviewed here, which is always great and a joy to see, and let's face it, like us, they aren't going to be there forever, so it's a good job this film was made whilst they were.For many years I made a lot of empty excuses about why I didn't have Robert Johnson's album in my rack, simply because I didn't realise the profound effect he had on our musical heritage. Then, I bought the album, and now it's an absolute favourite. Along with this DVD you will have just about everything you need to know about this Legendary Musician, and if you've read through this far you're obviously interested enough to know more, so click the button, you won't regret it I'm telling you.

If you are a blues fan then Johnson's name needs no introduction from me. This DVD is the Channel Four documentary that was shown at least ten years ago. John Hammond Jnr goes on a road trip to try to find people who knew him and the places he visited.Now, the bad news (apart from the lack of special features for a disc whose runtime is just under an hour)is the picture quality, which is not that great, but given it's an old TV documentary perhaps I shouldn't complain.Where it triumphs massively is a)Hammonds likeability and gentle interviewing manner and b) the chance to hear first hand from people who actually knew and played with Johnson. In case hardend blues-o-philes might worry that in someway the magic and mystery is unwound, forget it: there are at least two explanations put forward of what acutually happened to him, and no less than three possible burial sites!The lovliest moment for me was Hammond's finding of Betty, an old girlfriend of RJ for whom he wrote 'Love in Vain'. She has never heard the song and Hammond plays her a tape and the camera holds on her face for a couple of moments, and suddenly the voice and guitar that we fans know so well becomes slightly more human, slightly more tangible.Yes, it could have been longer - but this must be the 'plainest' DVD I own which I have watched the most - you never tire of the atmosphere and the stories which evoke such a fascinating man and his wonderful music.One star knocked off for no speacial features and for under-par picture quality, but that's no refelction of Mr Johnson. Long may his voice be heard.

This is a Great DVD, I had it on VHS and have been looking for it for some time, Dont be Fooled by the Keith Richards/Eric Clapton beef up their interviews last a matter of seconds! this is strictly John Hammond and his Research into this Legendary Blues man Robert Johnson, Excellant from beginning to End, Even better on DVD, a whole lot clearer copy and better sound than the VHS Version.

A great documentary on a giant

my preferred artist