The Devil Blues

Here, two blues musicians are involved in a situation akin to that of the two violinists. Robert Johnson's life story is well-known and well-liked. He began playing blues at the age of 19, although his abilities were not particularly impressive. But after appearing to vanish for a few years, he returned as a master and is still regarded as one of the most important blues musicians in history.

People thought Johnson acquired his extraordinary talents by unethical means, by bargaining his soul at the crossroads for unfathomable genius. The devil then fulfilled his end of the bargain when he passed away at the young age of 27.

This idea was undoubtedly implied by several of Robert Johnson's best successes, including "Cross Roads Blues," "Hell Hound on My Trail," and "Me and the Devil Blues," and they showed that the musician wasn't against his wicked reputation.

He wasn't the first, though. Tommy Johnson, a different blues musician who gained this notoriety a few years earlier, was the rightful owner of that distinction. Not only that, but he claimed to have learnt his music from the devil and aggressively promoted it. However, Tommy Johnson did not pass away at a young age, which is presumably why Robert Johnson came to be more intimately identified with the mythology.