(January 2025) Episode 626 is SON HOUSE. Mississippi blues legend and contemporary of Charley Patton and Robert Johnson. His music is marked by an emotional voice and slashing guitar style, often in slide. He did a number of recordings in the 1930s and early 1940s, including for the Library of Congress, then retiring and returning to performance in the 1960s when “rediscovered” in the blues revival – a path similar to others. The quality of the early recordings seems better than those by many contemporaries.
Favorite album: The Legendary Son House: Father of Folk Blues
Favorite song: Death Letter Blues
Compared to expectations: same
Recommendation: You can’t go wrong with any of it. The album above is a good mix of early/later recordings. The Library of Congress sessions disc is also good.
Opus Project 