The 27 Club
Robert Johnson was the first member of this tragic group of celebrated musicians who died at age 27
Lantern Theater Company’s world premiere digital production of Me and the Devil — directed and co-written by Steve H. Broadnax III and extended through February 27, 2022 — focuses on Robert Johnson, a founding member of a well-known club: The 27 Club, a group of list of celebrated musicians and performers whose legacies have been immortalized by their untimely deaths at age 27.
Robert Johnson died in 1938, and the cause of death is as mysterious as much of his life. The official death certificate attributes it to complications from syphilis, but many of his friends and contemporaries say it was murder — whiskey laced with strychnine, courtesy of a jealous husband of one of Johnson’s lovers. He was set to play Carnegie Hall just a few months later, but instead he was laid to rest in an unmarked grave.
Robert Johnson was the first, but unfortunately not the last, important musician to pass away at 27, becoming the founder of a club no one wants to join — and one that has captured the popular imagination for decades. Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and the others featured in this quiz are all members. How much do you know about these gone-too-soon artists?
Related reading: Robert Johnson: The Man and the Myth — The legendary bluesman at the center of Me and the Devil
Me and the Devil was filmed at St. Stephen’s Theater in Center City Philadelphia in 2021 with strict adherence to all CDC, state, and local health and safety guidelines, and is streaming on demand and extended through February 27, 2022. Visit our website for tickets and information.
