14
Robert Johnson’s Dallas Session – A Letter and a Building
Save the building. save the world…
Should 508 park Ave be made into a historic monument?
I think so.
In a letter written by Don law to Frank Driggs, which now sits sealed up in the Library of Congress, it is confirmed that 508 Park Ave is indeed the exact spot Robert Johnson recorded his Dallas Session in a makeshift recording studio. Currently, the building is unprotected, and there are rumors it is for sale. The facade is protected by part of the Harwood Street Historic District, but the rest of the building, including the room Johnson recorded in, could become condos, or torn down outright.
Glazer’s, a Dallas beverage distribution firm, has owned 508 Park Ave. since the 1950s. The company has been trying to sell it for years, to no avail. The building is currently vacant. Someone needs to buy this thing and turn it into a full time recording studio.
There are also other facts that come out of that letter.
For one, it is also now confirmed Robert Johnson was paid $25 per song. Though this seems like chump change these days, that wasn’t a bad take for a relatively unknown musician living in the deep south at the time. Often times they were paid much less. Robert probably felt like a wealthy man leaving the session.
Also in the letter, Don law describes a time when Robert Johnson asked him to give him some money to pay a prostitute. In the letter, Robert Johnson is quoted as saying “she wants 50 cents and I lacks a nickel”. Don law did indeed provide him with the money.
Though the letter is now sealed, I plan to release a copy on this site as soon as it is available.
Someone, though, needs to save this building.
7
Robert Johnson – New Third Photo?
First of all, my thanks go out to Mick for pointing out this Vanity Fair Article.
So, the rumors about Robert Johnson and his photos have been around a long time. So let’s review what we know.
There are two “known” photos of Robert Johnson. The first, (in order) is his portrait studio shot, which depicts Johnson in a borrowed suit, sitting on a chair. We know this picture to be a Hooks Bros photograph. The second image is a “self” portrait that Johnson took, often referred to as his “photo booth” shot. It depicts Robert sitting in a photo booth, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, and his bony fingers wrapped around the neck of his guitar.
We also know that more photos exist. Specifically, we know there could be at least one photo unreleased, which shows Robert Johnson, again in a borrowed suit, standing next to his nephew in a sailor uniform.
New speculation has emerged that a third “known” photo exists of Robert Johnson and Johnny Shines. Even though Shines has passed away, he fervently recollected a photo being taken of himself and Johnson together. Chronologically, this would be the third photo. Here is the photo in question, presumably showing Johnson and Shines together:
This photo was actually acquired on Ebay by Steven “Zeke” Schein, who is a vintage guitar expert and salesman out of Manhattan. The photo sold for just over $2000. To Zeke, it depicts Robert Johnson and Johnny Shines, and is the exact photo that Shines spoke about all those years.
There are doubts of course, that this photo is legit, but Zeke plans on tracing it down. It has already been shown to Honeyboy Edwards, Claud Johnson (Robert’s son), and others. Most importantly, it was shown to a woman named Gibson out of the Houston PD. She is the forensic specialist that was able to identify the sailor kissing the woman – you know, the famous WWII photo. What did she discover? That if the photo can be dated accordingly, she believes the photo to be – with little doubt – of Robert Johnson.
While research is still being done on the photo itself, it seems to be leaning towards this being the third “known” photo of Johnson. The issue is, it is very hard to track down a photo of this age, about a man long gone, and witnesses few and far between.
If only the other photos somewhat “known” to be in existence, were released…
