Myth and Legend in Music

Robert Johnson sells his Soul to the Devil
According to legend, at a young age Robert Johnson was afflicted with a burning desire to become a blues musician. Living in Mississippi plantation country in the early 20th century, Johnson was very superstitious, and believed he had received instructions to bring his guitar, and go to a “crossroads” late at night. There he met a “Big Black Man” (supposedly the Devil) who took his guitar, tuned it and played a few songs on it. When he handed the guitar back to Johnson, Johnson had complete mastery of the guitar, and in exchange for this gift he had given his soul to the devil.


Ozzy Osbourne’s Taste for Bats and Doves
In 1981, after signing a contract for his first solo record deal during a meeting in L.A. with some record company executives, Ozzy bit off the head of a dead. Supposedly, he had originally intended to release the dove as a sign of peace, but due to intoxication at the time he instead drunkenly bit off the dove’s head. A few short months later in January of 1982, Osbourne bit off the head of what he thought was a rubber bat, while performing in Des Moines, Iowa. Whether or not the bat was alive is contested; both the woman who brought the bat to the show and Osbourne claim the bat was dead, though Ozzy said the bat bit him, and he had to get rabies shots because of this.


Mythology surrounding the Abbey Road Cover
The Abbey Road cover is at the center of the “Paul is Dead” myth of 1969. Mid-way through ’69 American college students began publishing articles that said that Paul McCartney had died in 1966and had been replaced with a look-a-like. Many fans speculated that evidence of Paul’s death could be found in the lyrics of the Beatles’ music and in some of their cover artwork. The evidence supposedly contained in the Abbey Road cover is that it is a mock funeral procession for Paul. Lennon, dressed in white, is the clergyman; Starr dressed in a black suit is the undertaker, Harrison in blue jeans symbolizes a gravedigger, and McCartney is barefoot and out of step with the other Beatles, which is supposedly the way a corpse would walk. The origin of the myth is unclear, though a car accident in 1967 in which Paul was involved may have contributed, as the myth holds that Paul got into a fight with band mates during a recording session, stormed out to his car, drove off angrily, and smashed into a tree. The reason for the supposed replacement of Paul was to spare fans the grief of losing one of the Beatles.

Dylan goes Electric
“Dylan goes Electric” is a legend that began on Sunday July 25th, 1965 at the Newport Music Folk Festival. After years of playing acoustic folk songs exclusively, Dylan decided on the third night of the festival to play with an electric blues band as backup. This caused much controversy, as Dylan had a reputation as a leading and influential young folk musician. So his fans were very upset.

Elvis is Still in the Building
The myth of Elvis being alive is pretty straight forward – many people claim Elvis is still alive. Because of the myth, there many Elvis impersonators who make good money off the myth, though most fans know they’re not Elvis so it’s all in good fun. Many people have claimed to have seen Elvis over the years, and even a few websites dedicated to proving that Elvis is alive have popped up.

Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band
The three people on the cover I knew of were Marilyn Monroe, Edgar Allen Poe and Bob Dylan. Marilyn Monroe was a model and sex symbol of the 40s who still has a lot of influence today, despite her premature death. Edgar Allen Poe is a famous American writer of short stories. He lived in the nineteenth century and was famous for his stories’ macabre overtones. Bob Dylan became popular in the late 50s as a skillful folk musician and is still producing music today. Three people I had never heard of were Lewis Caroll, Stuart Sutcliffe and H.G. Wells. Lewis Caroll was a famous British writer and poet, known for his whimsical writings and most known for Alice in Wonderland. Stuart Sutcliffe played bass for the Beatles and actually bought the Hofner bass with money originally intended for art supplies. Turned out that old Sutty was better with a paintbrush, because after a few short years he gave the bass to Paul and went back to painting. H.G. Wells was a famous nineteenth century British writer most famous for his apocalyptic tale War of the Worlds.

Works Cited (in order)

Scotese, David W. Did Robert Johnson sell his soul at the crossroads?Mudcat Cafe,1997.Web. 31 Oct. 2010.

"Ozzy Osbourne The Rest of the Story." Dial-the-Truth Ministries a Christian Resource and Tract Ministry. Web. 31 Oct. 2010.

Polidoro, By Massimo. "A Myth That Rocks: The Premature Death of Paul McCartney | LiveScience." LiveScience | Science, Technology, Health & Environmental News. Web. 31 Oct. 2010.

Corbett, By Ben. "Bob Dylan Goes Electric - Bob Dylan Goes Electric at 1965 Newport Folk Festival." American Folk Music - All About American Folk Music and Americana. Web. 31 Oct. 2010. Oxford.

White, Dave. “Top 10 Rock Music Myths.” About.com. New York Times Company. n.d, Web. 31 Oct. 2010.


"Oxford DNB: Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Web. 31 Oct. 2010.