InSeries: Peek at Their Commissioned Opera—Delta King's Blues

 

The InSeries of Washington, DC, noted for its updated classic opera productions, has commissioned an opera by composer Damien Geter and librettist Jarrod Lee. The opera titled Delta King’s Blues debuted January 26, 2025, as a workshop at the Martin Luther King Library in the Nation’s Capital.

 

 

The story is based on the myth that an unknown blues musician named Robert Johnson rose to celebrity status because he sold his soul to the devil when his pleas to God went unanswered. The devil then teaches Johnson how to play his steel-stringed guitar.

 

Five outstanding singers are cast in the following roles:

 

Robert Johnson (tenor): Curtis Bannister

The Devil (bass): Dr. Carl DuPont

Virginia (soprano): Melissa Wimbish

Willie (baritone): Marvin Wayne Allen

Son (tenor): Jonathan Pierce Rhodes

 

Johnson was considered a ladies’ man who was a loner, leading an itinerant life going from town to town where he usually had a woman who would look after him. One of these women appears in the Opera: the 14-year-old girl he married in 1929, but who died not long after in childbirth. Another woman (but not in the opera) that he had an off-and-on relationship with over a ten year period had a son named Robert Lockwood, Junior. Lockwood learned to play guitar from Johnson as well as stage presence and timing. By the age of 15, he traveled with Johnson and was referred to as Robert, Junior. Lockwood’s father and mother divorced, and Johnson was an unofficial stepfather to Lockwood. The character Son in Delta King’s Blues is most likely Lockwood.

 

Johnson’s mother had married twice but neither husband was Johnson’s biological father. With her first husband, the family lived in Memphis for eight or nine years, where Johnson was educated in such subjects as arithmetic, reading, language, music, geography, and physical exercise. Johnson’s education made him different from other Delta blues musicians, because he was literate and exposed to jazz, country, and other forms of popular music. His mother’s second husband was named Will "Dusty" Willis and was called Will. Will lived in the Mississippi delta. While the singers did a reasonably good job of articulating the words of the libretto, it was unclear to this audience member if the character Willie was meant to be Johnson’s 2^nd stepfather. Johnson died from an unknown cause in 1938 at the age of 27.

 

In the scant program notes, the libretto synopsis states that Johnson tries to “impress Willie, Son and Virginia” with his playing of a steel stringed guitar named Stella.” “Willie” might also refer to another blues musician. What’s clear is that this 45-minute work involves artistic license relative to the truth of Johnson’s story.

 

Geter’s complex dissonance-infused blues music is built on well-known songs by Johnson such as “Cross Roads” and “Come on in My Kitchen.” Music Director Emily Baltzer accompanied the singers with an agile and masterful piano performance. The quality of the vocal performances was excellent, particularly Curtis Bannister as Robert Johnson and Dr. Carl DuPont as the devil. This reviewer longed to hear more of the female voice. The only female singer was the impressive Melissa Wimbish, cast in the limited role of Virginia. The producers of this workshop did not include a talk-back session. Instead, the event offered a fundraising reception that followed the performance. This reviewer hopes that the piece will continue to develop. It is off to a strong start.