Likely Stories - Biography of a Phantom: A Robert Jonson Blues Odyssey

He was born sometime around 1911, and died August 16, 1938, though we're not sure how he died. He may have been killed in a fight over a woman, or he may have been poisoned by the husband of a woman with whom he had been flirting. Maybe he sold his soul to the devil somewhere along the line.

But the Texas musicologist Mack McCormick spent more than 40 years trying to fill in the details of Johnson's life. He made numerous trips to Mississippi trying to figure out where Johnson lived, or find someone who had actually seen him play his music live. With the exception of one short article in 1988, McCormick never published his research.

McCormick died in 2015, and his daughter donated his voluminous archives - which eventually became known as The Monster - to the Smithsonian. It was there that John Troutman, the curator of music and musical instruments, worked McCormick's writings into a manuscript, and Biography of a Phantom: A Robert Johnson Blues Odyssey was published by the Smithsonian in April.

It's a fascinating story of McCormick's relentless pursuit of the story of Robert Johnson, a groundbreaking musician whose guitar playing has influenced Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Chuck Berry, Robert Plant, Keith Richards and countless others. McCormick eventually tracked down some of Johnson's relatives, and that's where the story becomes problematic. Some of the relatives say that McCormick agreed to share with them any money he made from writing about Johnson. They also claim that McCormick borrowed a photo of Robert Johnson and never returned it. The photo in question wasn't found in McCormick's archives, and this is significant because there are only three photos of Johnson that are known to exist.

RECENT EPISODES OF LIKELY STORIES

Likely Stories - The Art Thief by Michael Finkel

The Art Thief, by Michael Finkel, is a true story about a young couple who stole $2 billion worth of art - that's with a B- for more than seven years across Europe, totaling a treasure of more than 300 pieces.

Likely Stories - Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

"Under the Whispering Door" is a book I had been eyeing for months because of its intriguing cover. It is written by TJ Klune, the same author who wrote "The House in the Cerulean Sea.”

Likely Stories - American Road Trip by Patrick Flores-Scott

War is hell. And what comes after war, when soldiers return home, is often its own version of torment, one that takes exceptional patience and grace from everyone--those who love the soldiers as well as the soldiers themselves.

Likely Stories - The Gulf: The Making of an American Sea by Jack E Davis

I’m Joe Riley with KWBU. I’ve loved Likely Stories from the beginning, and always looked forward to hearing Jim McKeown’s recommendations. Now I’m grateful for the privilege of sharing one of my recent reads.

Likely Stories - How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing by KC Davis

KC Davis is a counselor and speaker who lives in Houston. In her book, How to Keep House While Drowning, Davis outlines practical and compassionate instructions on how to keep life running when you feel like you are flailing.

Likely Stories - Dominicana by Angie Cruz

Dominicana is a novel I cannot stop thinking about.

Likely Stories - The Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli

You may not think that an Episcopal priest is the most likely candidate to review a book on theoretical physics by someone who describes himself as "serenely atheist," but Carlo Rovelli's The Order of Time, which I just read for the first time this year, has quickly become one of my favorites.

Likely Stories - All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Earlier this year I read Anthony Doerr's novel All the Light We Cannot See. I had a copy of it for years and now, I wish I had read it sooner.

Likely Stories - The Long And Faraway Gone by Lou Berney

I wanted to bring a backlist selection that I only recently discovered. That is The Long And Faraway Gone by Lou Berney.

Likely Stories - We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

This week, avid reader and daughter in law of Jim McKeown, Ashley McKeown, brings to her Likely Stories debut, Lionel Shriver's 2003 novel 'We Need to Talk about Kevin."