November 13, 2008 | Read Time: 2 minutes
Blues lore holds that the legendary musician Robert Johnson went to the crossroads at midnight and sold his soul to the devil to play guitar. But now, some 70 years later, the prince of darkness has fallen on hard times and put Mr. Johnson’s soul, “slightly used,” up for sale on eBay.
The auction, actually conducted by the Blues Foundation, in Memphis, with the permission of the Johnson family, didn’t bring in a ton of money for the charity. The winning bid was $60. But the organization hopes the attention it garnered on music blogs and elsewhere online will help bring people to its new Web site, which is designed to introduce the genre to new fans.
“People kind of take the blues for granted, and don’t realize how important it is and how much of it runs through the rest of the music in America and around the world,” says Jay Sieleman, executive director of the Blues Foundation.
The new Web site features clips of different styles of blues music, along with links to sites where people can purchase the music. The foundation plans to change the selection of songs featured each month.
The site also provides contact information for blues organizations across the country that can help music lovers find live concerts.
To underscore the influence that blues music has had on other types of popular music, the foundation created several humorous videos that consider what music might sound like today without the blues — including one in which the Rolling Stones appear to play polka. The foundation sent the videos, which end with a plug for the new site, to its members in the hope that they will forward them to friends.
The Web site and promotional campaign were created pro bono by Mike Bourne, creative director of Ames Scullin O’Haire Advertising, who also performs as a blues musician on the side.
The range of contemporary blues goes well beyond the depressing, “sad sack” stereotype that many people have of the music, says Mr. Bourne. At the same time, he says, the themes of classic blues songs are still relevant today. “Little Walter had a song, ‘It’s a Crazy, Mixed-Up World,’ which if you listen to the lyrics, it sounds like he’s singing about the last year.”
To get there: Go to http://www.igetblues.com.
