Book Jacket

 

rank 958
word count 70237
date submitted 14.04.2009
date updated 17.11.2011
genres: Literary Fiction
classification: adult
complete

Hellhound on My Trail

Alexander French

Robert Johnson was the greatest blues artist of the twentieth century. Now his autobiography has been found. Or has it?

 

An exciting discovery has been made in the field of blues music. Ten discs have been found in which Robert Johnson (1911-1938) speaks at length about his life and work.

Johnson recorded some of the best blues ever put on record, and interest in him has remained for over sixty years.

Each of the discs concentrates on part of Johnson's story and is followed by a commentary.

The commentaries have been prepared by a distinguished academic who had been invited to judge the authenticity of the discs. The academic soon forgets his original brief, however, and lets his enthusiasm for Johnson dominate what he writes. In so doing, he helps make the reader aware of the numerous ironies in each monologue and in Johnson's story as a whole.

The discs and commentaries work together to give the reader the story of an immensely talented man who dedicated his life to his art, but died long before he was aware of how brilliantly he had succeeded.

 
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136 comments

 

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PATRICK BARRETT wrote 1133 days ago

Fascinatingly original. This would catch my eye in the bookstore and I would buy it. On my shelf. Patrick Barrett (ShakespearesCuthbert)

KarlV wrote 1103 days ago

One word comes to mind: elegant. It's elegantly written and for me this is what makes it engaging. There are times when I like to read a book for writing style and prose - and this is cetainly one of those times. Well done and I will continue reading.

RuuElisa wrote 409 days ago

These are the kinds of books that scare me: at first glance they "aren't my sort of thing", and before I know it I'm halfway through and utterly unable to put it down.

Gefordson wrote 412 days ago

Alexander,
As a Johnson fan this was a must read. That aside this book should appeal to a wider audience because it's well researched and well written. I don't understand why it's outside the top 100!
Good luck with it.
Gefordson
Nothing you can do.

Bill Carrigan wrote 415 days ago

Greetings Alexander: Once I'd started "Hellhound on My Trail," I had to keep reading for several chapters. Your treatment of Johnson's story, in expert dialect, combined with my long-standing interest in blues, brought up some fine memories of bands I dug and bands I played in. You've done something remarkable in opening Johnson's mind and revealing his unique personality, with realistic insights into the surrounding culture. "Hellhound" will be on my shelf as soon as I've given my currently authors a decent spin. Meanwhile, could I ask you to take a look at another period piece, "The Doctor of Summitville"? I have a feeling you'd like it. --Best of luck, Bill

makeshift-lobotomy wrote 427 days ago

"Believe me, brother, you gonna go crazy iffin you try to
explain things to a woman. They dogs you round till you lose
your mind."

"Trouble with me is I don't never listen to my own advice."

One chapter in and this is already filled with quotable lines
from Bob's narration. Some aspects of his attitude remind me
of my own protagonists. I sense a very personal/serious yet funny
story brewing here. Great so far.

-Taylor Simon
Clutter + Atomic Cocktail

Doug Thurston wrote 451 days ago

Nice piece of grilagem you've crafted there, Alexander, about a potential piece of grilagem. Like the artist painting the self portrait of himself painting a self portrait of himself painting... If it wasn't for the smoking gun of "fiction" in the tags, you would have left this reader wondering if this was real or not. I loved the contrast of the pure acedemic narrative balanced against the folksy, homespun language of "Robert". It's not the story, but the story behind the story behind the story that makes this thing tick.
Gonna have to clear some space on my bookshelf real soon.
Very impressed,
Doug Thurston
VOODOO INFERNO

M. A. McRae. wrote 452 days ago

A fictional biography, alternately written from the POV of Johnson, the Blues singer, and from that of the professor who studies the tapes he left. I have to say that the writing of dialect, and his POV, is brilliantly written, the chapters where the professor speaks are more mundane, but easy reading and well done.
The story is polished - I noticed no errors or typos to point out.
Very well done indeed, Marj.

Robert Craven wrote 467 days ago

Rich with the sights and sounds of the era, essential reading for anyone interested in Blues, Jazz or country. If I saw it on a shelf It'd be my ideal read. Backed with all the stars.


Rob

Robert Craven wrote 467 days ago

Rich with the sights and sounds of the era, essential reading for anyone interested in Blues, Jazz or country. If I saw it on a shelf It'd be my ideal read. Backed with all the stars.


Rob

murfj wrote 499 days ago

A brilliant story about a fascinating, mysterious and tragic subject. It would make a great film.

I played 'Crossroads' while I read it.

Backed.

John

Su Dan wrote 506 days ago

this is a fascinating piece; written in an honest and original style; a brilliant read...6 stars..watchlist for now...
SEASONS...

CarolinaAl wrote 618 days ago

Ingenous. Slick. Poignant. A swirling story. Richly imagined. Brilliantly atmospheric. Unique, well rounded, well presented characters. Impecable attention to detail. Insightful. Polished writing. An enlightening read. Backed.

Barry Wenlock wrote 619 days ago

A magnificent read. A truly fascinating insight.
Backed with pleasure,
Barry
LITTLE KRISNA AND THE BIHAR BOYS

Telegraph wrote 674 days ago

A awesome read with unique charcters and diolouge that only entices us from the first word. C W

lynn clayton wrote 679 days ago

I don't think there's any grilagem about the writing. I'm not American but the Mississippi dialect is easy and euphonious to read and the narrative one that we engage with immediately. Ingenious. Backed. Lynn

yasmin esack wrote 703 days ago

HELLBOUND ON MY TRAL

Alexander,
Your writing is most polished and professional. man, do you know how to connect! Very fascinating and intriguing topic and i am most pleased to support this.

THE THIRD EYE

CraigD wrote 706 days ago

Great idea, considering the legend that swirls around Johnson, and your academic writing approach of the opening chapter sets it off just right, then you turn easily into the dialect. Happy to back it for you.
Please consider taking a look at my book, The Job.
Craig

Famlavan wrote 709 days ago

What an amazing style!
You have something very special here; just love how this is structured and how the story is developing. Even the way this is written flows. – It is turning into a very impressive read!!

maab30 wrote 711 days ago

Wow, looking forward to listening to this.

SusieGulick wrote 743 days ago

Dear Alexander, I love that you shared about this famous blues singer that I know nothing about - his gravestone inscription was amazing. :) Before I began to read your book, I was prepared by your recap/pitch,which was very well done. Your story is good because you create interest by having short paragraphs & lots of dialogue, which makes me want to keep reading to find out what's going to happen next. I'm "backing" your book to help it advance - this will help it move up on the charts. :) Could you please return the favor by taking a moment to "back" my TWO memoir books, "He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not" & my completed memoir unedited version? "Tell Me True Love Stories," which tells at the end, my illness now & 6th abusive marriage." Thanks, Susie :)
p.s. Remember: Every time you place a book on your bookshelf, your recommendation pushes the book up the rankings. And while that book sits on your bookshelf, your reputation as a talent spotter increases depending on how well that book performs. :)

Melcom wrote 743 days ago

I don't know how this one has managed to escape me for so long. This is a fascinating read, you have a fabulous narrative voice and your descriptions are superb.

Glad I stumbled on it and happy to back it.

Melxx
Impeding Justice

A Knight wrote 746 days ago

This is not the normal kind of thing I'd pick up to read, and I would be missing out. This is original, stunning in depth and detail and thoroughly engaging.

Backed with pleasure.
Abi xxx

Pia wrote 786 days ago

Alexander,

Hellhound on My Trail - Brilliant idea, and riveting. Not only a jewel for Blues Fans, but also sprinkled with reflections and surprises. Very effective, the juxtapositioning of the faint recordings in native accent and the voice of the meticulous researcher, who could as well be a seasoned archeologist, or a detective. Under his keen ear, texts assume a different meaning. And the fascinating idea of the Marfan syndrome being responsible for Johnson's hyper-elastic joints. The narrator's speculations swing between the reviled to the revered Johnson, and then towards the - revised - man. This is a very thoughtful work humouring itself ... literary fraudsters succeed because they tend to give people what they want ... Some good examples, too.

Pleased to support this work. Pia (Course of Mirrors)

Burgio wrote 791 days ago

This reads like one of those stories that just had to be written. I had a little trouble reading the first chapter because of the strong accent but appreciate that was needed to set the scene for this man's life. It's both an important book and a good read. Burgio (Grain of Salt).

bonalibro wrote 796 days ago

Being a Robert Johnson fan, I was thrilled to run across your book, Sir. I have to admit though that reading that transcript, written as it was in dialect was a little bit rough going but I turn to a later chapter and was rewarded with the drama of the lower pitched recordings and the story of his seemingly open marriage. You are a remarkably good story teller a clean and clear prose style that ought to be eminently publishable.

Backing on my next roation

Tim Chambers
Moonbeam Highway: With Apologies to Miquel de Cervantes

bonalibro wrote 796 days ago

Being a Robert Johnson fan, I was thrilled to run across your book, Sir. I have to admit though that reading that transcript, written as it was in dialect was a little bit rough going but I turn to a later chapter and was rewarded with the drama of the lower pitched recordings and the story of his seemingly open marriage. You are a remarkably good story teller with a clean and clear prose style that ought to be eminently publishable.

AlanMarling wrote 810 days ago

Dear Alexander French,

Thank you for sharing your story with us. I skipped to chapter seven to cover less-traveled ground and was rewarded by Johnson falsifying his heritage with other blues singers. Having a potentially deceptive narrator makes things interesting. The insight of the academic reviewing the discs gives a depth of believability to the narrative. I grinned at the declaration of a foursome in a court of law as evidence of parentage. The academic is throwing the validity of the discs into question, creating a line of suspense. By the end of the narrative, I hope to know if this is truth. I should think the death of Johnson’s baby and teenage wife would give him ample inspiration for his music for years to come.

In your pitch, you refer to ‘discs’, and I wondered if you could be more specific, at least at first mention. To me, ‘discs’ makes me think of CD’s or DVD's, which created the wrong sort of mental image here.

The dissertation lends the fiction an air of realism and credibility. Bravo! Backed.

Best wishes,
Alan Marling

lionel25 wrote 812 days ago

Alexander, your Introduction and Transcript of the first disc read almost like non-fiction. You have come up with a very creative piece of work. Really impressive. Nothing to fault in those two sections.

Sincerely backed.

Joffrey (The Silver Spoon Effect)

Bamboo Promise wrote 819 days ago

I love this book, I will put in WL to read later. Backed.

Closet Writer wrote 820 days ago

Wow, Robert Johnson. I know a lot of blues people who would be interested in a book like this. This is very well-written too. I'm backing you tomorrow for sure.

SC Dwinnell, "Nobody Liked to Say"

mokhamoli wrote 821 days ago

This is fine writing. Backed. Mokha Moli

Andee Hughes wrote 829 days ago

So easy to read; so easy to get involved with the story.
Backed.
Andrea. Breach of Faith.

MiniMePom wrote 829 days ago

Lovely voices. Nice contrast between the narrator in the first chapter and Johnson in the subsequent chapters. Backed.

Nick Poole2 wrote 830 days ago

Shades of the Flashman papers, this is a wonderful conceit, convincingly argued.

Actually I've just Wikied him. He existed AND there's a photo or two.

The actual "scripts"...I find the phonetic dialect too strong. Do we need "wuz" for "was", "wif" for "with" etc? My experience of patois is there are far more almost incomprehensible words than inexplicable pronunciation.

But I will go on...

I must admit, this is sort of brilliant. Utterly convincing, within the limits of fiction. I think this deserved a bit more attention.

Nick
"Mirror In The Sky"

Rosali Webb wrote 854 days ago

Alexander
This is brilliant. I keep flashing from chapter to chapter and there is so much knowledge, so many theories. I have a seventeen year old son who is himself beginning to make his name with music, and I would buy this in a flash. So well written, it is hard to believe this is not already in some store somewhere. A lot to be appreciated. Backed certainly. Rosali
Fieldtrip to Mars

Raymond Crane wrote 855 days ago

Ilove your book and thanks for the comments, actually I have tried to interest publishers in releasing a book of four of my novellas but alas no go. Iwill certainly look into the problems with my book. Thanks again and good luck!

Raymond Crane wrote 867 days ago

I am enjoying your book so much .- thanks for so much - Perhaps you could give some of my books a read - R

Raymond Crane wrote 867 days ago

I am enjoying your book so much .- thanks for so much - Perhaps you could give some of my books a read - R

T.L Tyson wrote 871 days ago

Where I was in New York we went to the Tenement Museum and they told us how they peel off the layers of the wall to see how old it is, and to recount the life of the house. Anyways, the point of this rambling is that I would think this is what this type of book would be like. That is if it actually is a biography, if not you simply have a fantastic imagination and it was a delightful read. Is this actually auto? The tag doesn't say it is. But it felt like it was and the long introduction lead me to think it may be. I love the blues, i enjoyed this book. Well written.
Backed
T.L Tyson-Seeking Eleanor

Steve Jensen wrote 877 days ago

What a fantastic concept for a book! The legend of Robert Johnson deserves such excellent, authentic telling. You've done the literary world, not to mention the dark world of the blues, a huge service here, Alexander. How I wish I'd had the in-depth expertise you evidently have concerning Robert's life - I'd have loved to write such a story. Wonderful, sir. Shelved, as it deserves. :)

Ruth Francisco wrote 885 days ago

Marvelously researched, richly atmospheric, and delightfully brainy. I did a certain amount of research on the "jook joints" of northern Florida for a book I started, so I have a special appreciation for your topic. And I loved the pseudo-academic tone of the commentary. Quite marvelous. Best of luck with this.
Ruth
Amsterdam 2012

Pete M wrote 887 days ago

How did I miss this until now? Great fun, and elegant writing.

John Harold McCoy wrote 888 days ago

Hi, Alexander. Well, now... I guess I'm just a little dense but I still can't figure out whether this is fact or fiction. I see the tags are 'autobiography' and 'fiction.' (ok, I just googled it.. there was a Robert Johnson... blues singer. so, fact, right?) - or is it a fictional account based on fact?
Whatever. Anyway, you've done your homework, that's for sure. Frankly, the introduction felt a bit long and dry to me, but I can see where it's necessary. If I had been sure it wasn't fiction I don't think I would have seen it that way. Superb writing. I probably wouldn't buy this type of book but I have no doubt those interested in this type of thing definitely would. I think you've done an outstanding job on this and it deserves backing. On my shelf.

John Harold McCoy - Bramwell Valley

Jupiter Echoes wrote 890 days ago

BACKED

Jupiter Echoes wrote 890 days ago

Isn't he the guy who sold his soul at the crossroads?

Anyway, very good. Intelligently written and a must for any music fan.

Sandie Newman wrote 893 days ago

This is fascinating, I came across Robert Johnson through the film Crossroads and have been interested in his music ever since, a friend of mine once leant me a tape with some of his songs on, brilliant. His music was the first of its kind and incredible. Your introduction was exciting and riveting, as thought something extraordinary had been found. This is very deservedly backed.

Sandie
The Crown of Crysaldor

Harclubs wrote 896 days ago

Absolutely amazing. Intelligent, wise, and philosophical, your writing displays a deep knowledge and sensitivity to the motivations and lives of the musicians that worked with and around Robert Johnson. You draw in insights from other fields- the Angry Penguins reference in Chapter 1 brought a smile to my face as it still rankles here in Australia. A gem.

I've read up to the end of Chapter 4 and have found a few very minor problems with the manuscript. Chapter 1 appeared flaw free, but Chapter 3: 'a letter from Pilate letter...' looks like an edit gone wrong, as does 'a few years early than Johnson' and 'there we have ambiguous...'. Finally, there appears to be a comma missing from 'John Hammond, the producer...'.

All of which can be solved by any decent copy editor. An extremely fabulous read, even if you aren't a fan of the music.

gillyflower wrote 899 days ago

An unusual book and theme. Not only do we have the story of Robert Johnson, but we also have the intertwined story of the commentator and his attitudes and opinions. It is a fascinating study to see how the commentator begins to stretch things, seeming to look for evidence that the discs are false, while in reality looking for evidence that they are true. For instance, he believes that a well known expert has been mistaken in thinking that there was a woman called Thelma in Johnson's life; and he takes the fact that the discs make no mention of Thelma as evidence of their accuracy. There is clearly a basic logical mistake here in his analysis. You switch styles very skillfully from Johnson to the commentator. Each has a very distinctive voice, which takes us straight into the speaker's head. I find the story in itself compelling, and following the arguments is very engrossing. Backed.
Gerry McCullough,
Belfast Girls.

Francis Albert McGrath wrote 899 days ago

Very interesting and original. Reminds me of the Hitler Diaries controversy. Very well written. Shelved.
Frank

pakazo wrote 917 days ago

Obviously, there's very little advice a novice like myself can offer a fine writer like you, but as for the content of the story, I was engaged and found myself laughing outloud while reading the transcripts. This is all fiction??? Amazing! I did find the commentary portion a little long, pssibly even somewhat redundant, but it did have some interesting bits as well. All in all, a very sophisticated and amusing piece of work. I'd be happy to shelf it. Bravo for such originality!

paxie wrote 920 days ago

Alexander

This is brilliant.....How interesting, both in terms of the research you've done and the way you've set this out....
My grandfather was a fan of Robert Johnson, reading your pitch tweeked a memory that's been buried in tthe recess of my empty head for over thirty years......

The word controversy, twice in two lines in your opening.......debate,,,or something in place of one ?????

Perfection, which deserves to be published......Best of luck.....Shelved....

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