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A master of the country blues, Rory Block has immersed herself in the work of Delta icon Robert Johnson. Anyone who has ever tried to walk down to that crossroads will know that Johnson’s songs are not a cinch to play. Remember: Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones thought he was listening to a deuce of guitarists when he first caught Johnson’ recordings.

On her 2006 album The Lady and Mr Johnson, Rory plays and sings through 13 Robert Johnson classics like Walking Blues, Rambling On My Mind, Last Fair Deal Gone Down and Cross Roads Blues. Her performance on the latter is a masterclass in country blues.

If you fancy having a go yourself, grab a guitar and a slide and check out this lesson on YouTube. Still interested? Check out Rory’s own tuition DVDs at over at Homespun - click here and tell 'em we sent ya…

Listen: Rory Block - Cross Roads Blues (live at the Happy Days Visitors Center, Ohio, 2007)

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Liked this? Now read: A-Z of the blues

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