Son House

Son House was born Eddie James House Jr. in Mississippi in 1902. He learned guitar as a young man and played at local gatherings in the Delta, developing a raw vocal style and distinctive slide technique that became his signature. In the early 1940s, folklorists Alan Lomax and William Stephenson recorded him, capturing performances like 'John the Revelator' and 'Grinnin' in Your Face' that would later define his sound.

Those field recordings introduced House to a wider audience, though his career remained uneven. He struggled with alcohol and financial instability, spending time in prison and drifting in and out of music. Still, songs like 'My Black Mama' and 'Preachin' Blues' carried a direct, unvarnished intensity that felt both personal and rooted in place.

In the 1960s, during the folk revival, House was rediscovered and recorded several albums, including 'The Legendary Son House' in 1965 and 'Father of the Delta Blues' in 1967. His playing by then was rougher, his voice more weathered, but the core of his music, the slide guitar, the forceful delivery, remained intact. He died in 1988, leaving behind a body of work that feels less like a polished catalog and more like a series of stark, immediate statements.