The late Skip James is probably one of the most underrated delta blues players in the blues pantheon. Skips haunting voice, and spooky melodies seem almost from another world. Skip was a contemporary of Robert Johnson, Son House, and countless other delta blues guitar players. Skip was discovered by the same talent scout and furniture shop owner, HC Speirs, as Robert Johnson. I know, HC Speirs owned a furniture store, but realize that he sold Victrolas and in the deep south who better than a guy who sold the machines to find the kind of African American artists who would sell records to the people who bought the machines! Besides one of the great blues labels at the time was Paramount. Not the movie studio, but a furniture manufacturer in Wisconsin who made records!
Skip James is recorded here at the Newport Jazz festival (which answers a previous question:-) This is a great haunting tune. give it a listen and look!
1 comment:
i stumbled onto the 1930s recordings of Skip James at a library about twenty years and it blew me away, especially this song, the first track on the record.
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