• SumoMe

Son House

“Grinnin’ in Your Face”

Son House is one of the most genuine bluesmen in American history. In his youth, he set out to begin his career as a preacher. Despite his church’s prohibition against the blues, he learned how to play the guitar in his twenties. Inevitably, his music has a tinge of gospel music in it, and his voice carries with the rhythm and cadence of a preacher.

After learning his new craft, he went to perform a set in a juke joint in the late 1920’s that would change his life forever. While playing, a man went on a shooting spree and shot Son House in the leg. Immediately, Son House pulled out a gun and killed the shooter in self-defense (or so the story goes). He served two years of his 15 year sentence.

After getting out of jail, he moved to Mississippi where American folk musicologist Alan Lomax discovered him and his popularity exploded. It wasn’t until many years into his elder ages that he learned of the popularity of his Lomax recordings, and he came back into the limelight to find a crowd of fans he never knew he had. In this revival period, he played with big names like Mississippi John Hurt and Skip James. His legacy greatly influenced the music of Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson, and even reaches modern bands like The White Stripes.

Now, sit back and listen to Son House play the blues with nothing but his own hands and voice–a special ability that not many people can do well.