Robert Johnson

Robert Johnson: finger points to Marfan syndrome?

Submitted by guitar-list on

Robert johnson playing acoustic guitar and smoking a tab

In the September 2006 issue of the British Medical Journal, G.P. David Connell speculates about the unnaturally long fingers of bluesman Robert Johnson . Based on pictures and contemporary accounts, Connell thinks that Johnson had Marfan Syndrome . Marfan Syndrome is a genetic connective tissue disorder: those affected are usually tall and slim, with long fingers and flexible joints.

Robert Johnson: the case of the missing cigarette

Submitted by guitar-list on

johson-cigarette.jpg

We don’t know much about the life of legendary Delta blues guitarist Robert Johnson, beyond his 29 recorded songs and a couple of grainy black and white photographs. When reading an earlier article on guitar-list I was surprised to see a difference between the main picture and one in an advert at the bottom of the page. The ad was for a Robert Johnson tablature book by Hal Leonard, and you can plainly see that they have airbrushed Johnson’s cigarette out of the book cover.

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