The Crossroads of 49 & 61

The Crossroads of 49 and 61. . , The notion of a crossroads as a setting for spiritual decisions is common across many societies and religions, and in the blues it is particularly associated with Robert Johnson and a rumored bargain with the devil. This intersection of former Highways 49 and 61 became locally known as the crossroads in the 1930s, and many blues fans later adopted it as "THE" crossroads of Johnson lore. In 1999, a Mississippi state resolution proclaimed this the official location of the crossroads, and this now iconic sculpture with three guitars created by local metalsmith Vic Barbieri was installed., Reverse Side , Crossroads legends have circulated for centuries, and in pop culture the theme was sensationalized by the 1986 movie Crossroads and by speculation about Robert Johnson as a haunted figure who allegedly sold his soul to the devil at a crossroads in exchange for "the ability to play a mean guitar” (as worded in a Mississippi Senate resolution). In various versions deals with the devil or other supernatural forces could lead to success, wealth, power or magical abilities, as exemplified by Faust in European literature or Legba in African folklore. Transactions were said to be at crossroads, forks in the road, graveyards and other sites, often at midnight. , The Robert Johnson discourse was influenced by an account attributed to Tommy Johnson, a prominent early Mississippi bluesman who claimed to have made such a deal, by Delta blues icon Son House, who suggested Robert Johnson must have done the same, and by tales told to researcher Mack McCormick in Mississippi. Several blues artists put similar stories to music, including Casey Bill Weldon, who recorded "Sold My Soul to the Devil" in 1937, while the popular Peetie Wheatstraw, whose 1930s songs influenced Johnson's repertoire, made records as "The Devil's Son-in-Law.” Interpretations of Robert John's 1936-1937 recordings "Cross Road Blues", "Hell Hound on My Tail” and "Me and the Devil Blues” led countless devotees to support the crossroads premise and many have traveled to Mississippi in search of such a site. , Locations proposed or promoted as Johnson's crossroads include Dockery, Cleveland, Leland, Rosedale, Ruleville, the Bonnie Bee plantation near Clayton, and even Memphis. The Crossroads film used a site in Beulah. Clarksdale gained the most traction, however, as a vaunted historical center of blues activity, a blues tourism mecca, a former base of Johnson and Son House, and an intersection already well known as "the crossroads.” The Board of Mayor and Commissioners initiated a resolution passed by the state legislature in April 1999 authorizing Clarksdale to designate the 49/61 intersection as the Crossroads. Vic Barbieri's metal guitars, weighing over 1000 pounds, were mounted in place in May and quickly came to symbolize Clarksdale and is blues heritage. The Coahoma County Tourism Commission copyrighted the Crossroads logo in 2025. , In 2004, Highway 61 was redesignated 161 when new bypass routes of 49 and 61 were completed. Musical history at this intersection has included a nightclub, the Coconut Grove, which opened on October 13, 1936, with music by Al Jackson, who led one of Memphis's most popular Black bands. His son Al Jackson Jr. was the drummer with the famed Stax studio band Booker T. and the MG's. In 2025, a new crossroads scenario was depicted in the film Sinners , which portrayed Clarksdale in the 1930s., Captions: , Robert Johnson recorded "Cross Road Blues" on November 27, 1936, in San Antonio. It was released on the Vocalion, Perfect and Romeo labels. An alternate take later appeared on various records and CDs. Both takes were used on the Columbia Cross Road Blues EP in The Netherlands., Among several books that have examined the story of Robert Johnson and the crossroads are Beyond the Crossroads: The Devil and the Blues Tradition by Adam Gussow and Up Jumped the Devil: The Real Life of Robert Johnson by Bruce Conforth and A Gayle Dean Wardlow. Johnson died at the age of 27 on August 16, 1938, on a plantation outside of Greenwood, reportedly the victim of poisoning., Clarksdale bluesmen James "Super Chikan" Johnson (below left) and Christone "Kingfish" Ingram (below right) contributed music to the film Sinners. Photo credit: Rooster Blues Records, Photo credit: Christonckingfishingram.com, Frank Frost, a former Lula resident, appeared in Crossroads. Photo credit: Jim O'Neal, Another film that incorporated the crossroads legend, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, featured Louisiana guitarist Chris Thomas King in the role of Tommy Johnson., Text by Jim O'Neal and Scott Barretta. Research assistance: Nancy Kossman, John Frontman, Peter Guralnick. Images courtesy John Tefteller and Jim O'Neal. This is marker No. 222 on the Mississippi Blues Trail, dedicated April 9, 2026. Photo credit: Brenda Haskins, This Cocoanut Grove ad was published in the Clarksdale Daily Register and Daily Press on October 13, 1936.