| "Cross Road Blues" | |
|---|---|
![Photo of original 78 record label showing "Vocalion" in stylized lettering with "Cross Road Blues", "Vocal Blues with Guitar Acc[ompaniment]", and "Robert Johnson" as identifiers along with catalog numbers, "Made in USA", etc.](view_image.php?q=Cross_Road_Blues&sq=Envato&lang=en&file=File:Cross_Road_Blues_single_cover.jpg) Original 78 record label | |
| Single by Robert Johnson | |
| Released | May 1937 |
| Recorded | November 27, 1936 |
| Studio | Gunter Hotel, San Antonio, Texas |
| Genre | Blues |
| Length | 2:39 |
| Label | Vocalion |
| Songwriter(s) | Robert Johnson |
| Producer(s) | Don Law |
"Cross Road Blues" (commonly known as "Crossroads") is a song written by the American blues artist Robert Johnson. He performed it solo with his vocal and acoustic slide guitar in the Delta blues style. The song has become part of the Robert Johnson mythology as referring to the place where he sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for musical genius. This is based largely on folklore of the American South that identifies a crossroads as the site where Faustian bargains can be made, as the lyrics do not contain any references to Satan.
"Cross Road Blues" may have been in Johnson's repertoire since 1932 and, on November 27, 1936, he recorded two takes of the song. One was released in 1937 as a single that was heard mainly in the Mississippi Delta area. The second, which reached a wider audience, was included on King of the Delta Blues Singers, a compilation album of some of Johnson's songs released in 1961 during the American folk music revival.
Over the years, several bluesmen have recorded versions of the song, usually as ensemble pieces with electrified guitars. Elmore James' recordings in 1954 and 1960–1961 have been identified as perhaps the most significant of the earlier renditions. Guitarist Eric Clapton and the British rock group Cream popularized the song as "Crossroads" on their 1968 Wheels of Fire album, and their fiery blues rock interpretation became one of their best-known songs and inspired many cover versions.
Both Johnson’s and Cream's recordings of the song have received accolades from various organizations and publications. Both have also led the song to be identified as a blues standard as well as an important piece in the repertoires of blues-inspired rock musicians. Clapton continues to be associated with the song, and has used the name for the Crossroads Centre he founded on Antigua to help people recover from addictions, and the Crossroads Guitar Festivals he organised to raise money for it.