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Black Cat Bone: The Life of Blues Legend Robert Johnson is beautifully illustrated by Gary Kelley. Some of the text is biographical poetry by author J. Patrick Lewis, and some of the text consists of original lyrics by Robert Johnson.
Johnson is one of the most famous blues musicians; in fact, Eric Clapton called him “the most important blues musician who ever lived.” I was excited to find out about a book about his life, since much of what is considered known about him is folk legend, such as the story that he sold his soul to the devil to obtain his musical talent.
This book is unusual in that it’s a picture book targeted at kids grades six and up (an age when kids least want to be considered babies who read picture books), but its sophisticated art and poetry, and sometimes subject matter, will appeal to adults and older kids, especially music lovers.
Black Cat Bone manages to address the tall tales and rumors that create the legend of Johnson, as well as some factual biographical information. He doesn’t really sound like such a great guy, having left his second wife because she got sick. But what a guitar player! Keith Richards is often quoted as saying, “When I first heard [him], I was hearing two guitars, and it took me a long time to realize he was actually doing it all by himself.” Sometimes we have to separate an artist's behavior from the gifts given to the world.
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Black Cat Bone: The Life of Blues Legend Robert Johnson