The Keith Richards’ Blues Collection at the ARC was launched when Mr. Richards joined our Board of Advisors in 1991. The gem of the 10,000 disc collection is the Robert Johnson 78, “Me and The Devil Blues”/”Little Queen of Spades” (Vocalion, 04108, 78rpm, 10″, 1937). Johnson (1911–1938) was a seminal bluesman, his music the launching pad for countless blues-tinged careers in the 60s, mince for titanic soul-struggles and ground zero for the badboy style of all the Puffs and Doggs that followed. These songs were recorded in the back room of a warehouse in Dallas, Johnson’s final recording session (he only had two) on June 20, 1937. This is one of only 10-15 known copies. The collection also contains a great many early R’n’B recordings, reflecting the interests of the donor and to the delight of the ARC. You can see a few more iconic covers from the collection in our gallery.
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