I think what is special about Robert Johnson is the ability to make delta blues accesible to such a wide audience without compromising it. He was not technically as good as Blind Blake but what they had in common was complete control of the instrument. They never missed and they probably never played the same way twice. The guitar was like an extension of the body.

I think the soul selling story is pretty silly. If that's all it took to be a great guitarist, America would be crawling with great guitarists.