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From Other GuidesSon HouseDates:March 21, 1902 – October 19, 1988Occupation:blues musicianSon House, A Baptist PreacherEddie James House Jr. was born on March 21, 1902 in Riverton, Mississippi, just a few miles from Clarksdale. He was the son of a musician and, while he was drawn to music, early on religion played a prominent role in his life. By the time he was 15, he had become a Baptist preacher.
From Baptist Preacher to BluesmanWhen House entered his twenties, his life took on a new direction. Although he felt a calling to preach, he also could not shake his interest in the blues. In fact, he was so enamored with the blues that when faced with a choice between the blues and preaching, he chose the blues. Around 1923, House taught himself to play the guitar and began playing at house rent parties and picnics.
Son House Serves Time in PrisonIn 1928, House fell into troubled times. After shooting and killing a man he was sentenced to a term in prison at Parchman Farm. Just one year later, House was released after a judge’s review of the case led to the dismissal of the charges.
Son House Records the BluesOnce again, House was back playing the blues. As he traveled throughout the South, he met up with musicians Willie Brown and Charley Patton. Under the tutelage of Brown and Patton, House mastered the slide guitar sound. After Patton made his first recordings with Paramount Records in 1929, he secured a session for House. In Grafton, Wisconsin, on May 28, 1930, House recorded 10 songs, eight of which were released.After recording, House returned to the South where he continued to play locally. By this time, the Great Depression had taken hold of the record business and many artists were no longer given the opportunity to record. House was not an exception. However, in 1941, House again recorded. This time it was for Alan Lomax, who was charged with archiving samples of all kinds of music and interviews from singers around the country for the Library of Congress. House’s first session with Lomax took place in Lake Cormorant, Mississippi and again in New York a year later.
Son House is RediscoveredAfter recording for Lomax, House disappeared from the blues scene. He lived a nondescript life with his wife in Rochester, New York where he worked for the railroad and held odd jobs. In 1964, House was tracked down by music promoter Dick Waterman. After white American and European musicians had discovered the old recordings of early country blues singers, the genre was experiencing a revival. Waterman found House living in poor health and drinking heavily in Rochester. It took a bit of convincing to get House to agree to play the blues again, since he had given up playing the guitar 16 years earlier after the death of Willie Brown. Once House relearned his material, he was ready for his debut at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival.House’s performance opened up new opportunities. He signed with CBS Records and went on tour throughout the U.S. and Europe. He played many of his old tunes like “Preachin’ The Blues,” “Death Letter,” “My Black Mama,” and “Pony Blues.” House’s tour led to a new following of fans. They enjoyed his Delta blues sound; it highlighted his deep voice and the intensity of his blues sometimes gave off a hint of his religious background. House continued touring into the early 1970s, and then retired in Detroit. He died on October 19, 1988. The article was written on May 1, 2008. From Other Guides |
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