Why read Biography of a Phantom?

Book cover of Biography of a Phantom: A Robert Johnson Blues Odyssey

Book description

The drama of In Cold Blood meets the stylings of a Coen brothers film in this long-lost manuscript from musicologist Robert “Mack” McCormick, whose research on blues icon Robert Johnson's mysterious life and death became as much of a myth as the musician himself

"This is a human and humane…

Explore

Topics

Genres

Biographies

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Biography of a Phantom as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

David Menconi

Author

As much of a specter as its subject, Biography of a Phantom came from an odyssey that began in the late 1960s when the late folklorist Robert “Mack” McCormick set out to solve Robert Johnson’s 1938 death.

McCormick tracked down enough of the Mississippi blues legend’s living friends and relatives to crack the case. But Mack succumbed to mental illness before finishing the book, which has been a subject of intense interest and controversy ever since.

Eight years after McCormick’s death, the book finally came out in 2023. I find it a moving but deeply sad cautionary tale about the…

From David's 3 favorite reads in 2023.