Son House may very well have been the greatest Blues singer that ever lived. Mind you, there was nothing fancy or complicated about his music or his guitar playing. But coming, as it did, from the very heart of the Delta, there is something about his music that is irreducible. It is such a part and parcel of the very essence of what we call the Mississippi Delta Blues, that it is hard to imagine anyone breaking it down into pieces more fundamental or elemental than what Son House brought to the table. You wouldn’t necessarily point to his music and say, “There’s a good example of what Delta Blues sounds like.” His music is the Delta Blues, and he, in turn, is the very essence of what the Blues is all about.
A former preacher and farmer who spent some time at Parchman Farm, Son House was born in the early days of the 20th century, and took up guitar relatively late in life. It was, in fact, the push and pull between the earthly desires of his physical being, juxtaposed against the soul’s yearning for redemption that largely informs his music. For instance, in the early days, he was known to sing the Blues all night long in a juke joint on Saturday night, and on Sunday morning, wipe the beer bottles off of a table, get up on it and start preaching a hellfire and brimstone sermon. After he was done, according to legend, he would get down off the table, and he and his musical partner Willie Brown would go right back on playing the Blues for the hungover -- and we can only imagine somewhat startled -- patrons.
He made his debut recording session in the summer of 1930 for Paramount Records, but thanks to the Great Depression, they pretty much went nowhere. Out of the four issued 78s, two of them are so rare that only one copy of each is known to exist. One of them was found lying on the floor of an abandoned home in rural Virginia, while the other one didn’t turn up until 2005 -- some 75 years after the fact! Of the other two, only a few copies of each are known to exist.
In 1941, Alan Lomax came knocking on behalf of the Library of Congress, and further sessions were held -- this time, with one of the most exciting groups of Delta musicians ever assembled -- Son House on guitar and vocals, Leroy Williams on harmonica, Fiddlin’ Joe Martin on mandolin, and the legendary Willie Brown on second guitar. Sadly, Lomax had to pack up his equipment after recording only a few numbers, thanks to interference from the local authorities who put a stop to the proceedings. The few numbers that Lomax did capture, however, are priceless.
Alan Lomax came around again in 1942, recording further numbers with Son House, this time just solo. One of the standout pieces was a version of “Jinx Blues,” a tune associated with his musical partners Charley Patton and Willie Brown.
Sometime after this, he relocated to Rochester, New York, where he worked as a chef, and also as a porter on the New York Central Railroad. In 1964, three young Blues enthusiasts -- Nick Perls, Phil Spiro, and Dick Waterman -- came knocking on his door after a journey involving some 16 states and 4,000 miles. He no longer owned a guitar, however, and wasn’t sure he could sing again. Alan Wilson, later to go onto fame and recognition with Canned Heat, was employed to help Son “relearn” his music. Son, apparently, appreciated the help and support that the young man gave him. When they played together, Wilson was never showy or flashy, only complementing what Son was already playing. And others observed that Alan’s presence had a calming effect on Son when he was with him -- perhaps due to the fact that when he wasn't playing his beloved steel-bodied National guitar, his hands trembled.
People who saw him live in concert tell stories about him going to another place -- essentially leaving the building -- during his intense, extended pieces -- with everyone drained and exhausted at the end of each show. Quite frankly, they wondered how he was able to pour every ounce of his energy, every part of his being, so totally into his music. And yet he did, time and time again. Thankfully, footage from that era has survived, and it gives us an ever so brief glimpse in to the sheer power and passion of his live performances.
His last “great” public appearance came in the summer of 1970, in London. It was supposed to be his final European tour prior to a proposed retirement. However, retirement didn’t really come for another five years. His last recordings were made in April 1975, and are housed at an archive at Indiana University, remaining unissued. He died some 13 years later, in October 1988, at the age of 86.
In a 1970 interview, John Lennon offered this observation -- that the Blues were a chair. He said:
“[The Blues] are not a design for a chair, or a better chair... it is the first chair. It is a chair for sitting on, not chairs for looking at or being appreciated. You sit on that music.”
Although John had the right idea, he may have missed the mark just slightly when choosing his metaphor. The Blues aren’t so much a chair, as they are, perhaps, a house.
Or in this case, Son House.
It goes without saying that Blues singers like Son House only come along once. And fortunately for us, we have his incredible body of recorded work that lives on. Join us then, as we celebrate the life and music of one of the greatest Blue singers that ever lived.
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