Robert Johnson Crossroads — Clarksdale, Mississippi

The intersection of Highways 61 and 49 in Clarksdale, Mississippi, is the site most commonly identified with the legend that Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil at a crossroads in exchange for his extraordinary guitar ability. The myth — rooted in African American folk tradition and popularised by Johnson's own songs 'Cross Road Blues' and 'Me and the Devil Blues' — is the foundational story of the blues and one of the most powerful origin myths in all of music. Whether Johnson ever stood at this particular intersection is unknowable, but the crossroads has become the symbolic centre of the blues universe.

Robert Johnson (1911-1938) made only 29 recordings in two sessions in 1936 and 1937, but those recordings — 'Sweet Home Chicago,' 'Love in Vain,' 'Hellhound on My Trail,' 'Terraplane Blues' — are among the most influential in the history of popular music. Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Bob Dylan, and Led Zeppelin all cited Johnson as a primary influence, and his guitar technique and vocal style laid the groundwork for everything that followed in blues, rock, and R&B. He died at 27, reportedly poisoned by a jealous husband, in Greenwood, Mississippi.

The crossroads intersection in Clarksdale is marked by a large guitar-shaped sculpture. Clarksdale is also home to the Delta Blues Museum and the Ground Zero Blues Club (co-owned by Morgan Freeman). The town sits at the heart of the Mississippi Delta blues trail, and visitors can trace the geography of the blues — from Dockery Farms to the juke joints of Beale Street — through the surrounding region.