Hellhound on My Trail by Robert Johnson

"Hellhound on My Trail" is one of bluesman Robert Johnson's most famous songs. There are many who consider it his greatest song. The song begins with the usual blues rope of a rambling musician before shifting to imagery of him being pursued by a hellhound. The song was recorded on June 30 1927 in Dallas, Texas. It was not only the first song Robert Johnson recorded that day, but the first song from that recording session to be released.

The imagery of hellhounds has been used in Christian sermons at least from the late Middle Ages. Cerberus, who guarded the gates of Hades in Greek mythology, is even placed by Dante as guarding the third circle of Hell in The Inferno. In addition to Cerberus and with particular regards to Northern Europe, the image of the hellhound could also possibly have its roots in Garm, the dog who guards the entrance to Hel in Norse mythology. References to hellhounds would later be found in Puritan sermons of the 18th Century and would persist into the 19th and 20th Centuries.

In fact, hellhounds were mentioned in blues and spiritual songs prior to Robert Johnson's "Hellhound on My Trail." In 1926 The Biddleville University Quintettes's religious song "Show Pity Lord" contains the line "The hellhound has turned back off my trail." "Devil Blues" by Sylvester Weaver contains the line, "Hellhounds start to chase me man, I was a running fool, My ankles caught on fire, couldn't keep my puppies cool."

While hellhounds played a large role in Christian sermons and were references in song prior to "Hellhound on My Trail," what gives the song great significance is the legend that Robert Johnson had sold his soul to the devil for skill with the guitar. Here it must be pointed out that Robert Johnson was not the only bluesman about whom a Faustian legend had sprung up or even the only musician. Legends that 18th and 19th Century Italian violinist Niccolò Paganini had sold his soul to the Devil were current even in in his lifetime. The Catholic Church in Genoa took the legend so seriously that when Paganini died, he was denied a Catholic burial. Even an appeal to the Pope would not result in the burial of the violinist's body. He would not be buried until 1876, 36 years after his death. According to LeDell Johnson, the brother of Tommy Johnson, Tommy Johnson had claimed to have sold his soul to the Devil (here it must be pointed out that Robert Johnson and Tommy Johnson were unrelated).

The legend of Robert Johnson selling his soul to the Devil often varies and it is unclear whether it was current during his lifetime or even shortly after his lifetime. Some scholars believe it originated in the Fifties and Sixties, when white fans rediscovered Robert Johnson and his music. As mentioned earlier, version of the legend vary. Some claim that Robert Johnson took his guitar to a crossroads on a plantation (often cited as Dockery Plantation, but also others as well), where he met the Devil (who is often portrayed as a large Black man). Robert Johnson gave his guitar to the Devil, who tuned it and played a few songs on it, then handed it back to Mr. Johnson. As to idea that Robert Johnson's deal with the Devil took place at a crossroads, that part of the legends may have its roots in Robert Johnson's song "Cross Road Blues." Of course, it must be pointed out that in some variations of the legend it is not a crossroads were Robert Johnson meets the Devil, but a cemetery.

The legend that Robert Johnson had sold his soul to the Devil has been used to explain how he mastered the guitar so quickly. What the legends ignores is that Robert Johnson spent a few years learning how to play guitar better from such blues legends as Ike Zimmerman. Even if one believes in the Devil, there are more rational explanations for Robert Johnson's expertise with the guitar than selling his soul.

Regardless, "Hellhound on My Trail" is a remarkable achievement in the blues. Over the years the song has been covered by such artists as Fleetwood Mac, Cassandra Wilson, and others.