Friday Night Paranormal Phenomena

Starting this Friday, and occasional Fridays after, I will be writing and/or presenting something in the realm of the paranormal: parapsychology, UFO’s, folklore, ghosts, any unexplained supernatural phenomena. 

Many authors of fiction have written stories involving ghosts, UFO’s and other paranormal phenomena. Many musicians have written songs about the paranormal, and there is definitely an array of movies involving paranormal phenomena. Often times, what you see, hear, or read about the paranormal is based on real events reported by bystander and/or people involved. These stories usually develop into folklore and urban legend.

Tonight I am going to talk about the mysterious death of the legendary Mississippi delta blues artist Robert Johnson. Robert Johnson was a blues artist in the 1930s. He died at the age of 27, but the cause of his death is unknown. The legend of Robert Johnson is that he sold his soul to the devil in trade for mastery of the guitar. Johnson talks of this event in his song “Cross Road Blues.”

Some people believe that the devil came back to claim Johnson’s soul after he had master the guitar. In the original recording of “Me and the Devil’s Blues,” Johnson sings the words “you may bury my body, down by the highway side.” In the background of the song, Johnson speaks the words “Baby, I don’t care where you bury my body when I’m dead and gone.” It is believed that Johnson's body may have been buried at the crossroads and that his "evil spirit" can be seen hitching a ride on a Grayhound bus.