By Jackie Don Loe
~ Late Night Blues ~
Robert Johnson recorded “From Four Till Late” on June 19th,
1937, in Dallas, Texas, and it remains a gem among all the blues songs ever recorded.
Sadly, in a little over a year on August 16th, 1938, he died in Greenwood, Mississippi, at
age 27 surrounded in controversy and deep mystery. As legend would have it, he made a deal
with the devil at the crossroads and always had a hell hound on his trail. Today, he is
often considered the king of the Delta blues, and has influenced countless musicians who
have followed the blues path.
Here is a simple interpretation of the basic chords. Although it is a
twelve bar blues, it has a cool twist in bar six where you could get away with an F minor
chord, but the Ab and G7 chords follow the vocal line and set up the I-IV-II-V in bars
seven through ten.
Also check out Eric Clapton’s version on the Fresh Cream record.
12 Bar Blues – “From Four Till Late” 4/4 time
C / / / | F / / / | C / / / | C7 / / / | F / / / | Ab / G7 / | C / / / | A7 / / / | D7 / /
/ |
G7 / / / | C / / / | G7 / / / ||
“From Four Till Late” Chords
