Hellhound on My Trail: The Devil Tuned My Guitar

A deal with the devil sealed Robert Johnson's fate. A dark night at the crossroads created a legendary bluesman and enlisted the evil one himself as the most inspiring figure in rock and roll. The story of Johnson and his dastardly deal may be myth, but the power of his music, post-devil, can not be denied. Robert Johnson's blues licks and songs like "Hellhound on My Trail" cemented his legend as the brilliant, tormented soul of American blues.

English guitar players latched on to the Johnson myth and turned up the amps on his bluesy leads. Jimmy Page was one of those young guitarists who borrowed liberally from Johnson. When Page formed Led Zeppelin, their rocked-up blues would influence countless musicians but their attachment to the dark side would haunt the band for years, leading to the untimely death of legendary drummer John Bonham.

Led Zeppelin's quick rise to prominence and status as rock gods was attributed to Jimmy Page's fascination with all things occult. While the rest of the band was off setting the benchmark for rock and roll excess, Page could be found conjuring demons and living on the shore of Loch Ness. Page had a kinship with the famed occultist Aleister Crowley, so much as buying the "Wickedest Man in the World's" home, complete with every "sacred" artifact.

The aura of something sinister gave Led Zeppelin a mythic quality that no other band has since enjoyed. Personal and professional tragedies derailed Led Zeppelin only 7 years into their career. The death of Robert Plant's child, car accidents, John Bonham's rock and roll death (he asphyxiated on his own vomit after a night of heavy drinking), as well as the ascension of punk rock as the new exciting trend effectively put an end to Led Zeppelin. Whether they were the victims of chance or something altogether darker and sinister is still a mystery to many.

The devil became more visible in rock and roll with every passing decade. He can become more beastly and nightmarish, or comical depending on which of the ever-expanding genre's of rock and roll is employing the image of evil itself. While rock and roll excess may be the moral influence of a darker being; that excess has always been easy for any schmuck with a guitar. It's also been forgettable.

Robert Johnson trading his soul for a few years of shining brilliance stands as the archetypical rock and roll story. That shot at immortality is worth everything. No cost is too much. Rock and roll will live forever, as long as the devil is around to steal souls and influence young kids with guitars.