Video: “Crossroads” by Robert Johnson

Set to the blues song “Crossroads”, this animated video, produced by Gretchen Brennison, Richard Alcock, Chris Lenz, and Adam Block, tells the story of Robert Johnson’s deal with the devil.

Johnson died in 1938, at age 27, under mysterious and violent circumstances. He was already a legend, and his story of meeting Satan at the crossroads to make an exchange for his extraordinary talent had already permeated the popular culture of his day and became even more ingrained after his death. Johnson’s few recordings—29 songs in total—went on to influence the music of Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, Led Zeppelin, and many others. As the video says, without Robert Johnson, there would have been no rock and roll.

— Robert Johnson Studio portrait (circa 1935)