HMR Project: History of Music & Modern Recording

Son House

Birth of the Blues: Son House

Son House

Born in Lyon, Mississippi, on 21 March 1902, guitarist, Son House (Eddie James House Jr., that is, Eddie James "Son" House) was a preacher before beginning to perform the blues at age twenty-five, commencing a twofold career. It wasn't long, however, before his musical vocation got him into trouble, for in 1928 he was playing at a house party or juke joint near Clarksdale when he was shot in the leg. Just how this event went down is obscure, but House ended up killing a man, presumably the man who had shot him and presumably by pistol (the same?). Though defending himself, House was sentenced to fifteen years for manslaughter at Parchman Farm (Mississippi State Penitentiary). His case was reviewed, however, and he was released in a couple years, whence he hooked up in Lula with Willie Brown and Charley Patton. He may have first recorded in Grafton, Wisconsin, on May 28, 1930, for Paramount: 'My Black Mama', 'Preachin' the Blues', 'Dry Spell Blues', et al.

'Mississippi County Farm Blues' Son House

First-known recording to see issue

28 May 1928 in Grafton WI Matrix L-401 Paramount 13096

Composition: House

'Clarksdale Moan' Son House

Second-known recording to see issue

28 May 1928 in Grafton WI Matrix L-407 Paramount 13096

Composition: House

'Preachin' the Blues' Parts 1 & 2 Son House

28 May 1928 in Grafton WI Matrix L-410-1 & L-411-1 Paramount 13013

Composition: House

'Preachin' the Blues' Part 1 Son House

28 May 1928 in Grafton WI Matrix L-425-4 Paramount 12990

Composition: House

'Preachin' the Blues' Part 2 Son House

28 May 1928 in Grafton WI Matrix L-426-2 Paramount 12990

Composition: House

After the ten titles which House put up in 1930 he recorded no more until he was discovered by Eddie Lomax who taped numerous titles by House for the Library of Congress in 1941 and 1942. He was accompanied by Brown at guitar, mandolin player, Fiddlin' Joe Martin, and mouth harp player, Leroy Williams. He then left the Delta for New York in 1943 and quit the music business. Two decades later he would revive his blues career upon rediscovery in Rochester in June of 1964 by Dick Waterman, Nick Perls and Phil Spiro. House thereafter played various venues like the Newport Jazz Festival in November 1964 as a folk singer, enough to fill several record albums. He toured to Copenhagen, Denmark, with Skip James in November of 1967. In 1970 he was guest to a John Peel Session for BBC Radio 1. His final-known recordings went down in 1974 on Toronto Island of Lake Ontario. That was included on 'Son House Vol. 2 (1964-1974)' per Private Records PR2 in 1987.