What’s up with the Devil and Music?, by Cassidy Gordon

In 1979, the late great Charlie Daniels wrote a famous song called “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”. It follows the story of the devil coming to Georgia and challenging a fiddle player named Johnny. The devil makes a bet with Johnny: if Johnny wins, the devil will give him a golden fiddle; but if the devil wins, he gets Johnny's soul. Johnny may win in the end, but why did the devil come down in the first place?

The devil shows up in music a lot – let’s explore that.

Giuseppe Tartini

Giuseppe Tartini went to bed one night in 1713, but after falling asleep, he had a strange dream. The devil appeared on Tartini’s bed and made a pact: the devil would be Tartini’s servant if he sold his soul. Tartini then handed the devil a violin to see what he could do, and what he played amazed Tartini.

Tartini awoke from his dream and immediately began to compose his “Sonata in G minor,” also known as the “Devil’s Trill Sonata”. Many point to the highs and lows of the composition as representing the story of Satan. The high points being when Satan was an angel, and the low points are then him falling into Hell.

Tartini seemingly told only one person about his interaction with the devil. That person was astronomer Jerome Lalande, who wrote about Tartini’s dream in his book “Voyage en Italie,” which was published in 1790. There are some speculations on when Tartini actually wrote his sonata: either in 1713, the year he told Lalande, or in 1745, because of the maturity of the piece.

Tartini had a life of success with other endeavors but never published the music in his lifetime as he died in 1770. However, the sheet music was found and published in 1798.

Despite having a prosperous career, he is mostly known for his supposed interaction with the devil, perhaps an unlucky part of the deal?

Robert Johnson

There is a legend in Mississippi: if you go to a crossroads at midnight, you’ll meet the devil. One Robert Johnson is the epitome of this urban legend.

Robert Johnson was born into a very poor family on May 8, 1911, in Hazlehurst, Mississippi. He grew up learning how to play guitar and sing. He put music aside for a while to marry his first wife, Virginia Travis in 1930. Johnson toured across the South following the marriage, but when Travis was 8 months pregnant, Johnson traveled to her. When he arrived back at home, he found out that Travis and their baby had died. This made Johnson throw himself into his music, becoming the blues icon known today.

The legend goes that Johnson went to a crossroads in the Mississippi Delta at midnight around the year 1931. The devil was there, waiting for him. Johnson cut a deal with Satan, asking for unmatched skills at the guitar in exchange for the devil to have his soul.

From 1931 to 1932, Johnson was missing in action. This year is when many people think he was with the devil, but family members say he was practicing with Isiah “Ike” Zimmerman, another prominent figure in the blues world at the time.

Johnson heard the rumors people said about him and the devil, but it didn’t phase him at all. If anything, he played into it. One of his songs, “Cross Road Blues”, details a man, Bob, at a crossroads. The “dark goin’ catch me” is a reference to the devil.

Johnson met a young girl by the name of Virgie Mae Smith around 1931, who later became pregnant with their child. Smith’s parents were very religious and forbade Johnson to have a relationship with Smith or their child, adding on to the tragedy of Johnson’s life.

Johnson died on August 16, 1938, near Greenwood, Mississippi. His death certificate cited complications with syphilis as the cause of death. Others suggest that it was poisoning from a bar because he allegedly had an affair with one of the owners' wives shortly before his death.

Johnson is a part of the infamous “27 Club” which includes artists like Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Amy Winehouse. His legacy lives on, as many rock legends look to him for inspiration.

Maybe his fame was organic, maybe satanic?

Selling Your Soul

Both men “sold their souls” for fame, but the ironic part is that they are mostly known for their exchanges with the devil and not as much for their music. Perhaps that was a part of the devil’s plan all along? Or perhaps neither man sold their soul. Tartini could’ve just had a bad dream, and Johnson was just with Zimmerman but let the rumors run rampant. Maybe we’ll never know; it’s just between Tartini, Johnson and Satan, himself.

(Hopefully this is the first of a series where I talk about the devil and the music industry. Tune in next time for 80s Satanic Panic and the infamous Tipper Gore trial.)