Robert Johnson: Voodoo, Delta Blues, Cursing God, and a Crossroads

DISGRACELAND

Jake Brennan

Society & Culture, Music, True Crime

4.6 • 13.1K Ratings

🗓️ 24 October 2025

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Robert Johnson didn’t just play the blues. He embodied them. He drank and womanized his way through the South, New York, and Chicago in the 1930s, until he finally met the devil at the crossroads for a little trade. So the legend goes, anyway. With the same soul he supposedly sold to the devil, Robert Johnson belted lightning blues that captured trouble in 12 bars. But the trouble he touted would eventually trickle into his own life, one bottle of poison at a time. This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners and includes descriptions of racial violence and traumatic childbirth. This episode was originally released on Nov. 1, 2022. To view the full list of contributors, see the show notes at ⁠www.disgracelandpod.com⁠. Visit ⁠www.disgracelandpod.com/merch⁠ to see the latest Disgraceland merch and check out the new limited edition Halloween merchandise! To listen to Disgraceland ad free and get access to exclusive content and more, become a Disgraceland All Access member at ⁠disgracelandpod.com/membership⁠. Sign up for our newsletter and get the inside dirt on events, merch and other awesomeness - ⁠GET THE NEWSLETTER⁠ Follow Jake and DISGRACELAND: ⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠YouTube⁠ ⁠X⁠ (formerly Twitter) ⁠Facebook Fan Group⁠ ⁠TikTok To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode is brought to you by Disgraceland All Access and the listeners who support this show through Patreon and Apple Podcasts. You can become a supporting member of Disgraceland and receive ad-free and exclusive content by signing up today for just $5 a month before prices go up at the end of October. To become an all access member, go to disgracelandpod.com. If I get my kid a phone, I'll be able to keep in touch with them all the time.
0:22.9	They'll be on it all the time. He could walk to school by himself. She could see something, she shouldn't. He could chat with grandma. Friends, trolls. They can access anything on the internet. They can access anything on the internet. So, should I give my kid a phone? Growing up with phones isn't always easy.
0:38.6	Introducing EEE Safer Sims.
0:40.7	Sims that help moderate you. So should I give my kid a phone? Growing up with phones isn't always easy.
0:38.3	Introducing EEE safer sims.
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1:21.0	Disgraceland is a production of Double Elvis.
1:24.9	Hey everybody, this is a special episode of Disgraceland because I was able to cast one of my
1:30.2	favorite singers in soul music today. Lee Fields. Lee Fields is an incredible vocalist,
1:36.0	great artist. You should check him out wherever you stream your music, Amazon music, or wherever
1:41.1	you listen. Lee Fields plays the part of Sun House's head in this episode.
1:46.6	He did an amazing job.
1:48.1	I just want to give a special thanks to Lee.
1:50.4	And again, if you don't know his music, go check it out.
	...

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