Devil’s Crossroads
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Object Details
Artist/Maker
Shane Lavalette, American, born 1987
Date
2010
Medium
Pigmented inkjet print
Dimensions
Please contact the Museum for more information
Credit
Commissioned with funds from Paul Hagedorn and the Friends of Photography
Accession #
2012.27.5
Image Copyright
© Shane Lavalette.
Description
This intersection in Clarksdale, Mississippi, is known as the Devil’s Cross-roads. Legend has it that at this junction renowned blues musician Robert Johnson, woefully in search of a tune to play one evening, crossed paths with the Devil. He handed his guitar to the Devil, who tuned the instrument, and Johnson agreed to sell his soul in exchange for the gift of musical greatness. The spot is marked with three blue guitars on a pole. Clarksdale is one of numerous towns in Mississippi that claim the location of the mythical crossroads.