An Encounter with Robert Johnson · Voices of Illinois · University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library

Title: An Encounter with Robert Johnson
Date(s): 06/18/2007
Interviewee(s): Victor Lukas See all items with this value
Interviewer(s): Tracie Wilson See all items with this value
Interviewer Position: 2006-2007 Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) Fellow and folklorist
Summary: Vic Lukas, co-founder of the University of Illinois Campus Folksong Club, reads an essay about a controversial performance hosted by the club. Robert Johnson, a Black shoe shiner and carnival entertainer, was invited to play at the university. After his musical performance, the host asked him to tell about his carnival experience, which offended high-ranking university officials. Lukas considers how racism affected the reaction to Johnson’s performance.
Subject(s): activism See all items with this value; campus folksong club See all items with this value; civil rights movement See all items with this value; folk music See all items with this value; person of color See all items with this value
Related Resources: Campus Folksong Club Oral History Project File (RS: 35/3/58); Campus Folksong Club Records (RS: 41/65/1)