The Bluesman’s Saint

After years of watching Mississippi Deltans buy flowers and heart-shaped chocolates in the name of Saint Valentine, and later gather at the nearest pub dressed in their finest green attire in the name of Saint Patrick, I pondered the idea of a Mississippi Delta version of a saint. 

Just as millions of people spend time with their friends and families on days named in honor of Saint Valentine and Saint Patrick, so do people from around the world gather throughout Mississippi and listen to music inspired by Robert Johnson and his fellow bluesmen. The beginning of the pilgrimage through our sacred cultural sites of the Delta blues begins in the Gateway to the Blues Visitors Center in Tunica. The restored 116-year-old train depot, which once housed guitar strums belonging to all of the great bluesmen, stands as the entrance to the Mississippi Blues Trail and its treasures, which await blues and Delta-history lovers alike.

When you make your way through, don’t forget to say a little thank-you prayer to Johnson or whoever your favorite bluesman may be. With that in mind, I wondered “why is there not a bluesman saint?”

I turned to the Catholic Church’s criteria for being recognized as a saint, which includes proof of virtue, faith, support from God and two examples of miracles attributed to that person.

On the matter of virtue, the church previously stated that being of heroic virtue does not mean a person was perfect or sinless. Instead, he or she worked aggressively to improve him- or herself self spiritually and never gave up trying to be better. Ask any musician, and they will tell you that playing an instrument creates a feeling of spirituality by connecting with something other than yourself. Johnson worked so hard to improve in that aspect that many swear he had unearthly help.

Proof of faith can be found in the words and imagery of the blues lyrics. Religious imagery about the devil, heaven and hell has remained prevalent throughout blues music. More similar than not, blues and gospel–the secular and spiritual songs of the South–both share core themes of sorrow, despair, hope and redemption. In addition, many blues artists, like Charlie Patton, even moonlighted by singing gospel, while so-called “guitar evangelists” shared musical language similar to the blues.

Concerning the issue of proof of support or help from God, many swore Johnson’s talent came to him because he made a deal with the devil. Johnson and the crossroads remain a popular story, but devil references in blues songs were common.  The crossroads themselves exist as a symbol of the line between the natural and the unexplainable. The name “cross” roads even refers to the symbolic nature of Christ’s cross, so is it so far of a stretch to wonder if Johnson’s unearthly help came from God? It is fitting that Tunica houses the “gateway to the blues.” since it was once called home by Johnson, who attended Tunica’s Indian Creek School in 1919. That just goes to show that you never know who you could run into while visiting this delta land of crossroads. 

There must be two established cases of miracles in order to name a saint. The blues itself could be seen as doing miracle work. Crossing race lines, the blues influenced people around the world, impacting cultures, while also defining Southern people. Bluesmen became heroes and legends in the black communities and abroad, where the music was understood to be as a spiritual, deeply powerful art. The power of blues music has and continues to change and impact lives. 

By visiting Tunica and the Gateway to the Blues Visitors Center and exploring the markers along the Mississippi Blues Trail, “pilgrims” better grasp the power of the blues music of the Mississippi Delta.