Song Clearance Sheet
5 sources citedCross Road Blues
Delta Blues1930s102BPM
UnconfirmedKey
Tempo/key via Deezer →
The verdict
Documented Sampling History
A confirmed songwriter of record (Robert Johnson's estate); still under copyright until roughly 2032/33, not yet public domain. The “sold his soul” legend (which the actual lyrics never mention) and the estate-inheritance thread live in the Receipts, separate from the clearance picture.
Used by independents?
Unconfirmed — the page doesn't yet document enough sampler detail to tell.
Quick Facts
Released1936
GenreDelta Blues
LabelARC / Vocalion
ProducerDon Law
Recorded atGunter Hotel, San Antonio, Texas
More infoWikipedia → · Discogs →
Who you need to ask
The songwriter of record — Robert Johnson's estate
Wikipedia → · checked Jul 2026
The current administrator — Not confirmed — needs a Songview/Discogs lookup
Wikipedia → · checked Jul 2026
Has it been reused?
Yes — a blues cornerstone, famously reworked by Cream as “Crossroads” (1968) and covered widely; in the Blues Hall of Fame.
Do they allow reuse?
No standalone policy found; still under copyright until ~2032/33, so it must be cleared through the estate/administrator, not treated as public domain.
A correction worth stating plainly
Despite the “sold his soul at the crossroads” legend, the actual lyrics contain no such reference — Johnson describes going to a crossroads, falling to his knees and asking God for mercy. No lyrics reproduced here.
Related Songs
Same album, answer records, and songs worth knowing about
The separate Johnson song whose “Rosedale” line Cream grafted onto “Crossroads”
Who Owns It
Licenses explained →The two permissions you need, and who holds them
The song itself (the writing)Robert Johnson (estate)
Not yet public domainPublished 1937; under US rules for pre-1978 works (95 years from publication), it would be scheduled to enter the public domain around 2032/33 — NOT public domain today. Worth a direct confirmation nearer that date rather than assuming.
A separate estate threadJohnson’s posthumous success (notably the 1990 “Complete Recordings” box set) triggered a real estate battle involving Claud Johnson, who claimed to be his biological son — a distinct rights-history thread from the crossroads myth.
The recording (current administrator)Not confirmed
Receipts
Every public mention of terms, policy, or past deals we've found
The “Rosedale” myth comes from a later cover, not the original
Cream’s 1968 version added a verse borrowed from Johnson’s separate “Traveling Riverside Blues” (“going down to Rosedale”) — which sent generations of fans to Rosedale, Mississippi, even though the original “Cross Road Blues” never mentions it.
Blues Foundation · read it →
The crossroads myth has real Hoodoo roots — predating Johnson
The crossroads-as-liminal-space idea comes from Hoodoo, an African American folk-magic tradition of the Mississippi Delta that existed independently of Johnson, later mythologized and attached to him after his 1938 death.
Songfacts · read it →
A scholarly caution about the myth
At least one modern analysis argues the “sold his soul” myth risks attributing Black musical genius to mystical intervention rather than real skill and cultural transmission — presented as documented discussion, not settling the question either way.
Grokipedia · read it →
Can You Use It for Free?
How to check PD →Is it public domain?No
Sample History
—
Times sampled
Cream (“Crossroads”) · widely covered
Covers
1968
First flip
Big names who used itCream · Eric Clapton
Who to Contact
RJ
Robert Johnson's estate
The songwriter of record (still under copyright until ~2032/33)
What they'll chargeNobody's shared numbers yet
Don't Want the Hassle?
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References
Every source cited on this page — 5 in total
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Page history · 2 updates
Jul 2026Page created — full research (Deep Batch 3)
Jul 2026BPM/Key pending a separate manual keyfinder pass