Fifty-two years after his death, Robert Johnson stunned the recording industry when this boxed set of his 1936-37 recordings sold over half a million copies, eventually surpassing a million worldwide. Since Columbia’s initial reissues of Johnson’s work on LPs in 1961 and 1970, the legend of Johnson had grown to epic mythological proportions, far transcending the limited traditional blues audience. This became the music that found its way into countless dormitory rooms where no other blues CDs were
even present.

The legend of Johnson’s alleged deal with the devil at the crossroads, his image as the haunted, tortured poet, and the easily traceable lineage of his songs through Muddy Waters and Elmore James to the Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton all contributed to the explosion of interest in Johnson. He was indeed a genius, a remarkable singer and guitarist, and the channeler of all that came before him in the blues into a form that future generations could rock and roll with.

One of many ironies of Johnson’s story is that he had only one minor hit in his lifetime (Terraplane Blues) and was certainly no star in comparison to some of the bluesmen of the era who inspired him, such as Lonnie Johnson, Peetie Wheatstraw, Roosevelt Sykes, Kokomo Arnold, and Leroy Carr, and yet reissues of their works will never sell in anywhere near the numbers of Johnson’s. It’s all here ‘almost ‘ in this set, which was issued in boxes of two CDs, two cassettes, or three LPs, with a booklet by Johnsonologist Steve LaVere. All the takes Columbia had access to at the time are included, 41 in all. One more, an alternate of Traveling Riverside Blues, surfaced later from the collection of folklorist Alan Lomax and was added to a repackaged CD version of King of the Delta Blues Singers.

Columbia 46222, The Complete Recordings, released in 1990 as a boxed set of three LPs, two cassettes, or two CDs.

Disc: 1
1. Kind Hearted Woman Blues (take 1)
2. Kind Hearted Woman Blues (take 2)
3. I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom
4. Sweet Home Chicago
5. Ramblin’ On My Mind (take 1)
6. Ramblin’ On My Mind (take 2)
7. When You Got A Good Friend (take 1)
8. When You Got A Good Friend (take 2)
9. Come On In My Kitchen (take 1)
10. Come On In My Kitchen (take 2)
11. Terraplane Blues
12. Phonograph Blues (take 1)
13. Phonograph Blues (take 2)
14. 32-20 Blues
15. They’re Red Hot
16. Dead Shrimp Blues
17. Cross Road Blues (take 1)
18. Cross Road Blues (take 2)
19. Walkin’ Blues
20. Last Fair Deal Gone Down
Disc: 2
1. Preachin’ Blues (Up Jumped The Devil)
2. If I Had Possession Over Judgment Day
3. Stones In My Passway
4. I’m A Steady Rollin’ Man
5. From Four Until Late
6. Hell Hound On My Trail
7. Little Queen Of Spades (take 1)
8. Little Queen Of Spades (take 2)
9. Malted Milk
10. Drunken Hearted Man (take 1)
11. Drunken Hearted Man (take 2)
12. Me And The Devil Blues (take 1)
13. Me And The Devil Blues (take 2)
14. Stop Breakin’ Down Blues (take 1)
15. Stop Breakin’ Down Blues (take 2)
16. Traveling Riverside Blues
17. Honeymoon Blues
18. Love In Vain Blues (take 1)
19. Love In Vain Blues (take 2)
20. Milkcow’s Calf Blues (take 1)
21. Milkcow’s Calf Blues (take 2)

Contains all the takes located by Columbia as of 1990, missing only an alternate take of Traveling Riverside Blues which was in the collection of Alan Lomax at the time.

— Jim O’Neal