Don Law Robert Johnson letter
Don law Q & A?
The Letter About Robert…
Frank Driggs apparently wrote a letter to Don Law inquiring about the Robert Johnson recording sessions. The letter, dated April 10th, 1961, reads as a question and answer session with Frank asking the questions, and Don Law hand writing in the answers.
Some of the stories and answers are quite interesting – paying for Johnson’s prostitute, how much he was paid for recording, and several other facts come to light in this letter. Read on to view the entire two page letter.
The letter, written back in 1961, sheds some interesting light on good old Robert Johnson. Apparently, Frank Driggs wrote the letter to Mr. Law looking for some additional insight into the life of RJ. Frank was going to do a write up of his blues lyrics, and was looking for some additional insight into RJ to round out his “librette”.
The letter goes on to claim that the first night RJ was in San Antonio he was picked up by the police, beaten, and thrown into jail on a false vagrancy charge. It says that Don law helped him beat that charge, and Robert was taken to a boarding house and given 45 cents for breakfast.
Apparently, Johnson also approached Law about a prostitute, stating he was lonely, and “she wants 50 cents and I lacks a nickel”. The letter states Johnson was recorded on a borrowed guitar, and that he played facing the corner.
Also, which is odd to me, it mentions Johnson recorded one or two “pop” style songs in the session. Johnson was also paid a flat fee of $45 per side for the recordings. The letter also states that Don law was planning on recording Robert again, until he learned of his death.
Go ahead and read the letter yourself, by clicking here.
[...] By a letter written between Frank Driggs and Don Law. That letter can be seen here: “Don Law Robert Johnson letter“. Since the letter confirms the location (referring to the make shift branch office of the [...]