Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Thousands of incredible audiobooks and podcasts to take wherever you go.
Immerse yourself in a world of storytelling with the Plus Catalogue - unlimited listening to thousands of select audiobooks, podcasts and Audible Originals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Up Jumped the Devil

By: Bruce Conforth, Gayle Dean Wardlow
Narrated by: Leon Nixon
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

Robert Johnson is the subject of the most famous myth about the blues: he allegedly sold his soul at the crossroads in exchange for his incredible talent, and this deal led to his death at age 27. But the actual story of his life remains unknown save for a few inaccurate anecdotes.

Up Jumped the Devil is the result of over 50 years of research. Gayle Dean Wardlow has been interviewing people who knew Robert Johnson since the early 1960s, and he was the person who discovered Johnson's death certificate in 1967. Bruce Conforth began his study of Johnson's life and music in 1970 and made it his mission to fill in what was still unknown about him. In this definitive biography, the two authors relied on every interview, resource, and document, most of it material no one has seen before. As a result, this book not only destroys every myth that ever surrounded Johnson, but also tells a human story of a real person. It is the first book about Johnson that documents his years in Memphis, details his trip to New York, uncovers where and when his wife Virginia died and the impact this had on him, fully portrays the other women Johnson was involved with, and tells exactly how and why he died and who gave him the poison that killed him. Up Jumped the Devil will astonish blues fans who thought they knew something about Johnson.

©2019 Bruce Conforth and Gayle Dean Wardlow (P)2019 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

Delta Blues cover art
King of the Blues cover art
Crossroads cover art
The Birth of Loud cover art
Play It Loud cover art
Texas Flood cover art
Mister Satan's Apprentice cover art
White Bicycles cover art
Time Between cover art
Brother Robert cover art
The Practice of Practice: Get Better Faster cover art
The Silmarillion cover art
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World cover art
Beast cover art
Symphony for the City of the Dead cover art
A Long Strange Trip cover art

What listeners say about Up Jumped the Devil

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    37
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    30
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    32
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

That’s What I’m Talkin About!

Fantastic chronicle of Roberts life. Even as an Englishman I’ve studied Robert”s music, performed his songs live, travelled Mississippi in his footsteps. Really interesting and reads true A must for acoustic Delta Blues nuts like me.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

spectacular

loved it from start till end. interested in the subject matter for yes and truely helped fill in the blanks

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Debunks the Johnson myths

Using a lifetime of their own experience and research, the authors have constructed a comprehensive and detailed biography of this famed bluesman. It effectively debunks the mythology and supposition that's grown in the previous information vacuum. You probably need to be a fan of the blues or pre-war black musical history to appreciate this telling. You'll certainly come out of it well informed and wanting to revisit his recordings. Another valuable and informative book worth exploring is 'Escaping the Delta' by Elijah Wald. Well narrated.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

brilliant listen for all you blues/Robert Johnson

Great story, well read thoroughly enjoyed it, imho possibly the best book on Robert Johnson for me

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

well put together

Great to hear the facts and myths of such a mysterious historical figure put together in a such a way that believably fleshes him out. It will never be able to give all the answers but its the best narrative of his story that exists to date.
Really well narrated too.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

for all blues lovers this is a must,

for all blues lovers this is a must, great book. highly enjoyed.

I've read any different tellings of RL 's story but this seemed to be the most honest and factually account.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

from myth to reality

after listening to this book, I felt like I knew Robert Johnson, extremely well written and extremely well read, must be the most accurate story of his life so far

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The Man The Myth The Music

Well read and well written book of one of the true greats of blues music. Strongly recommend it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Up jumped the devil.

Informative,interesting, enjoyable,well written,well read,addictive.Brilliant factual account.Give this a listen or a read,you wont be disappointed.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!