{"product_id":"biography-of-a-phantom-a-robert-johnson-blues-odyssey-9781588347817","title":"Biography of a Phantom: A Robert Johnson Blues Odyssey","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe drama of \u003ci\u003eIn Cold Blood \u003c\/i\u003emeets the stylings of a Coen brothers film in this long-lost manuscript from musicologist Robert \"Mack\" McCormick, whose research on blues icon Robert Johnson's mysterious life and death became as much of a myth as the musician himself \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"This is a human and humane book, an insightful exploration of the biographer's craft. [...] McCormick's book makes you feel what we lost when Johnson died young.\" --\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003ci\u003e\"\u003c\/i\u003eReads like noir fiction. It's a detective story riddled with fatalism and ambiguity carried out by someone who, like the archetypal noir hero, isn't a detective but an ordinary guy in a dismal, often violent setting searching for what can't be found.\" \u003ci\u003e--\u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhen blues master Robert Johnson's little-known recordings were rereleased to great fanfare in the 1960s, little was known about his life, giving rise to legends that he gained success by selling his soul to the devil. \u003ci\u003eBiography of a Phantom: A Robert Johnson Blues Odyssey \u003c\/i\u003eis musicologist Mack McCormick's all-consuming search, from the late 1960s until McCormick's death in 2015, to uncover Johnson's life story. McCormick spent decades reconstructing Johnson's mysterious life and developing theories about his untimely death at the age of 27, but never made public his discoveries. \u003ci\u003eBiography of a Phantom \u003c\/i\u003epublishes his compelling work for the first time, including 40 unseen black-and-white photographs documenting his search. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhile knocking on doors and sleuthing for Johnson's loved ones and friends, McCormick documents a Mississippi landscape ravaged by the racism of paternalistic white landowners and county sheriffs. An editor's preface and afterword from Smithsonian curator John W. Troutman provides context as well as troubling details about McCormick's own impact on Johnson's family and illuminates through McCormick's archive the complex legacy of white male enthusiasts assuming authority over Black people's stories and the history of the blues. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhile Johnson died before achieving widespread recognition, his music took on a life of its own and inspired future generations. \u003ci\u003eBiography of a Phantom\u003c\/i\u003e, filled with lush descriptive fieldwork and photographs, is an important historical object that deepens the understanding of a stellar musician.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Smithsonian Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 02\/06\/2024\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781588347817\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 264\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.81lbs","brand":"Robert Mack McCormick","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43433864790197,"sku":"9781588347817","price":18.69,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_427339c9-3328-4c54-a942-464753127cb4.jpg?v=1703571297","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/biography-of-a-phantom-a-robert-johnson-blues-odyssey-9781588347817","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}