The blues comes from a very dark place in American history; segregation, poverty, hopelessness. The pain of millions flows through this man and out, relieving the burden of all who hear him. Although these blues masters sing mostly of common human experience, what makes it great is the bearing of ones soul, the expression of feelings that few men will ever experience, thank God. It's as if God gave them one thing that no man could take away, when all else was gone, their music remained, showing their unbreakable spirit that still lives on today. The history of blues music is the true American history that most people find too painful to except.
dang, man, thank you for uploading this. in the great Son House voice, I hear that baptist deacon sound. and it's like that's black folks legacy right there. we need to appreciate the complete aesthetic essence of the "blues"
It's really cool to see Son talking about the songs before launching into them. Someone in another video mentioned this before, but it's funny how he sounds so soft-spoken in the introduction to each song but then blasts these songs out with such raw power.
@R W Clawhammer most likely goes back to a very similar style, called "o'teck", used in Africa in Senegambia on the native folk lute "akonting", which is most likely related if not ancestral to the banjo. Clawhammer was adopted (Sometime around the mid 1800s) around the same time the banjo was adopted in blackface minstrel shows. On guitar and lutes, "spanish style" finger-picking would have actually been very common. It was also just as fairly common to finger-pick banjos in a "spanish" way, especially around the time the banjo became a popular household instrument and parlour music became popular. It wouldn't quite be three-finger picking, but it would still be finger-picking, and you'd see a lot of it. The three finger style is just a variation of these pre-existing finger styles, and I'd argue it is nothing as innovative and unique as it is often made out to be. All in all, If nobody finger-picked the banjo in the 1800s, Earl Scruggs would have never picked with three fingers. In terms of guitar and blues specifically, I can only think of three (Four if we count Son House) blues guitarists who used clawhammer or some variation. I suspect it may have been more common in black American string music around the turn of the 20th century, but it probably tapered off a lot sooner. I suspect this because Henry Thomas, who was on the "older" side (Being born in 1874, I believe), was probably the only one who near consistently used clawhammer. The next two, Barbecue Bob and Curley Weaver, were taught to play by Weaver's mother. Barbecue Bob used a mix of spanish-style finger picking and "frailing" (Or "clawhammer"), while Weaver later switched to the Piedmont, ragtimey style, which requires a more spanish-like finger-picking technique.
@@sirloinsteak7870 Totally wrong, "clawhammer" style picking was used by dozens of blues artists, I've been playing blues for fifty years and learned from artists like Son because I was a concert promoter for the Seattle Folklore Society that recorded this concert. I have NEVER heard of finger style guitar called "spanish", however, here Son is playing in open G tuning, which is also called "Spanish tuning".
It's funny; my nephew is like this. In that, when on stage, he's very shy, and he looks down all the time and mumbles when he thinks he's speaking. But when the song begins, he becomes a completely different person. Outgoing and loud.
just had a weird episode of fate calling. listening to this music to get a call a few minutes in to the video that my grandfather passed. seems kind of fitting
although I'm sure he enjoys this as well, I believe it was the song grinnin in your face that is Jack White's favorite. Also just sunhouse is voice and clapping. I saw it on the documentary it might Get Loud
You might be able to get the feel of his playing style, but forget about coming anywhere near the heart and soul nuances baked into his singing. Often imitated but never duplicated. RIP Mr. House and thanks for reaching me so powerfully!
“i went to my room, and i bowed to pray, but the blues came along and drove my spirit away” the way the church and the “devils music” had torn him apart:( rest easy son
I discovered Son in the 60's because Cream credited him for "I'm So Glad". Johnny Winter credited Son House as his inspiration in part as a Blues musician. Johnny covered "Death Letter Blues" on his last album. Played on his '30's resonator. Rest in peace Son and Johnny, thanks for the incredible music for generations to come! Amen
This is incredible music. For anybody interested 'John the Revelator' was covered in more recent times by 'Frank Black and the Catholics'. A nice version, that made me curious as to the original sound. Although, I was familiar with Son House and always loved his playing. Amazing feeling to it.
The old wise bluesman/woman, is truly American. We are slowly losing the good ole folks, but I can't help but think the blues is keeping those people alive.
Thank you for this post. I'm from Seattle and now live in France, I play the blues and love gospel music also. Mississipi Fred Mc Dowell led me to Son House , and the list goes on but now I'm trying to give a certain replay here of this real blues, now unfettered from demonic accusations that Son House a minister helped to finally dispel. Haunting just the same this, touches me deep inside, blues doesn't politic, so much the better as it helps us to dispel the real demons plying on the world stage now.
Jack White is the blues master of our generation good friend..he got me too in the delta blues and howlin'wolf and allot other legends..and i thank him for this gift!! :D and i agree whith every word you said concernin that the blues is responsible for modern music
A man, divinely inspired, and giving everything. I doubt he was even in our dimension when he sang this song. This is probably my 50th time listening to Death Letter, and I had to stop to marvel in its beauty yet again. Thank you Mr. House.
I would love to just sit by his side and listen to all the stories I know he has to tell about his life and our history. To have lived thru what he must have gone thru during that period and to have still kept that light shining from his soul speaks volumes about this man. What a talent!
Brenda Mark's, John Mooney, a very good blues and slide guitarist, used to hang with Son House in Rochester New York. I bet John could tell us a few stories!
major influence on Mike Bloomfield Rock's 1st guitar hero. When he was asked to perform Blind Owl Wilson (Alan Wilson of Canned Heat) had to teach him how to play the songs he had forgotten.
when it says he was rediscovered it was by a young blues singer named blind owl he was the frontman of the band canned heat. they done a really famous song you might of heard called on the road again
I never saw Son play a Model-0 before. Many years ago I had a conversation with Dick Waterman, Son's manager, about selling him my 1929 National. He told me he was sick and tired of buying Son old Nationals just to have him go right to the pawnshop with them to get money for booze. He was interested in buying it for Bonnie Raitt, who he also managed at the time, but I decided not to sell.
@yattmates1 Don't worry about it. I'm a teenager and I found my way to delta blues and Son House easily enough. Blues based artists these days like the White Stripes turn kids like me onto guys like Son house all the time. Also, they really make you appreciate how much the blues is responsible for modern music through both their words and actions. So not all music these days is shit, just all the super mainstream dance bullshit. PS. Look up the white stripes blistering "Death letter" cover
great post.....its a honor that this man's final resting place is so close to me. i go to his grave all the time. its actually my thinkin spot.....if your ever near Detroit.....send me a message....it would be a honor to take you to see this legendary man.
His right hand technique looks over-the-top, but consider that he came up before amplification existed, if you were going to be heard over the background noise in a crowded juke joint, you would need to beat the hell out of that thing to be as loud and percussive as possible.
The biography is wrong. He was 20 years older than that according to Lomax. He lied about his age to get work as a labourer on the railroad. That is taken by biography as his true age! The story is sadder than that.
Stooge - it's strange but true. Before google and YT linked up there was an interview with one of the Lomax family - I think it was A.L's son shortly before he died. We are talking about a documentary I watched more than ten years ago. But I remembered That. Son House had drifted to New York to look for work because his genre of the blues wasn't in fashion any more. Music had moved on. He wanted a job, but because of his age, he was ineligible. He had to lie to get the job. From the lies he told about his age then come the 2 or 3 different versions of his age. Lomax put that one out there before he died. I can't recollect now if he was born in 1882 or 1886 - but I wrote a short biography of him with the date Lomax gave - to a musician friend at the time. Which was silly because the guy was steeped in the blues himself - and had learned every note. If you figure that Son House was the elder and teacher of people like Robert Johnson and Skip James and that he had a whole career as a preacher and drunk before then - he was already the finished article when they were beginning and finding their voices - he was from the previous generation - it gets clearer then.
Also, when Al Wilson searched for SH and had to teach him to play like SH, because he hadn't touched a guitar for ages - he was already far advanced in his alcoholism. He had the beginning of Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease even then. He'd been an alcoholic since he was nineteen. Then he had the glorious year - after six wobbly months of not getting it quite right - then on a tour to England with Al Wilson as sideman and memory nudger, Son House began to fall apart completely. He still had the playing and the presence and the great spiritual power - but he was muddling the songs up. He couldn't tell one song from another. If you watch his performances - even of death letter blues - you'll find him forgetting his own song. Look out for the last verse. I didn't feel so bad till the good lord sun went down, I had no one to throw my arms around..... That goes on to - I went in my room and I knelt down to pray - but the bluuues came along and stole my spirit away. There are few live versions on film in which he manages the last verse. By the time people picked up on him, he was already gone. Wilson came back from the tour and went into a downward spiral. And poor old blind owl took an OD and left before he had to watch any more. And SH started being the only one who wasn't aware of how far he had disintegrated. He played on until people, in kindness and sadness had to ask him to stop please. It's a sad, sad story. A genius who lost his life's work. Then Had this amazing comeback in old age - and blazed across the sky like a comet. And a year was all he really got. And he lived to be 106 or 102 or whatever it was, I can't recall at this moment. It's gut wrenching.
