Music is all about expression and there's nothing more expressive than the Delta Blues and no Delta Blues more expressive than Son House and Death Letter Blues.
Love all the old black blues guitarists they had an edge and a certain class and style you do not see today. You can keep all those bullshit 200 notes a second technical shredders. Give me son playing straight from the heart. Anytime
My goodness. This version is even more heartbreaking. Son House was so theatrical. He starts this version singing in the third person, before finally, after the funeral we hear him sing in the first person and realise that the heart-broken protagonist of the story was him all along. Possibly denoting that the protagonist could not deal with the amount of raw emotion and thus had to sing as if the tragic events happened to someone else 💔 A masterclass in storytelling right there.
"You know I ain't never loved but four women in my life...my mother...my sister...my dead gal and my wife." The greatest one line ever written, no teeth, tuning optional. To quote Sam Philips, "Perfect imperfection." Welcome to the blues boys and girls.
There's many different forms of it this is raw no doubt but magic sam sounding different is also raw and deep pain but also joy a d power not all blues is sad nor meant to be
Oh my goodness you have just witnessed words cannot explain wow deep down inside the man son house and his rendition his version you can't get that on this modern-day digital who blah truly a gifted talented artist real real time oh my goodness now back to the show
First saw this clip on Music Central 96 from Microsoft, but that was totally low-res video, so I had no idea where he got that pounding downbeat rhythm, or his fast slide vibrato on the fretboard, until I saw the full thing right here on RU-vid. And my jaw just DROPPED.
I bought my first Son House recording 1980, along with a Rev Gary Davies LP. The record shop in Manchester would let you play the stuff before you bought it. The guy was a mine of info about the blues. Great days!
Muddy Waters - no mean judge - said the The Great Son House was the best blues guitarist that ever lived. Maybe Johnson is The Man for some people or Skip James - both were mentored by SH. This is a great version but he miss out the last verse and starts in the 3rd person 'he' instead of 'I' I didn't feel so bad till the good old sun went down I didn't have a soul to throw my arms around Guitar I went into my room and I bowed down to pray But the bluuuees came along and stole my spirit away. As SH began to deteriorate about 2 years after his rediscovery by the blind owl. - he began to mix up songs and lyrics and he slowly fell apart. Parkinsons and Alzheimer's and an 80 year alcoholism. But he was the man. I watch these versions on the edge of sorrow. I really do.
@@pl0xr0blux89 I think that my reasons for preferring Son House are probably emotional/irrational. Most of his best music was lost and all we have left are like a shadow on the wall. Musician friends of mine all say the Johnson was their guy. Its probably the sensible point of view.
@@oscarlandag1831 Time is a liar yeah, time is a thief. It'll take you down and roll the ground, from underneath your feet. It was his song to do what he 'wanted' with, but one year later he did a session with Stefan Grossman and not only did he jumble up the lyrics between different songs, he also played whole verses of different songs into the tune he was playing - on guitar. Eventually Grossman did all the guitar playing and they hit a sweet spot when SH remembered the lyrics to the tune he was singing. They made definitive versions of New Pony Blues and Empire State Express - a lyric from which finds its way in here. There's an album of SH recorded 'live' in London at the end of his 'comeback' tour. Blind Owl is playing 2nd guitar - and at different points the song he's playing falls apart when he 'improvises' the tune and the lyric and mixes up what he's playing with another of his songs. Within 2 years of him making his 'comeback' he had already deteriorated so badly because of Alzheimers and Parkinsons and alcohol that people were begging him to stop playing. There's a film of Howling Wolf at the Newport Festival - doing a gig at a small venue (probably as a rehearsal) and Son House is there totally drunk and heckling the musicians. Eventually, booze will mess you up - and by the time it brings on Alzheimers and Parkinsons it's too late for you to be able to perform in public - especially if you continue drinking several bottles of spirit every day.
This man was & IS Amazing. If you listen closely, when he uses his slid, he's still playing other notes & theres other music coming from the guitar along with the sliding. Thats just awesome. Not may, if any, can do that. @ hek7 yeah, the man really knew how to work that dobro.
That was the Americans that could be saved. What happened? He tells the scary truth and it heals our souls. I'm sorry I love American culture but I hate industry
