“Dry Spell Blues - Part 1” - Son House (1930)
Edward James “Son” House Jr. was one of the most famous and influential of the early American bluesmen. He was born in Riverton, Mississippi on March 21, 1902. Around age seven or eight, he was brought by his mother to Tallulah, Louisiana after his parents separated. The young Son House was determined to become a Baptist preacher, and at age 15 began his preaching career. Despite the church’s firm stand against Blues music and the sinful world which revolved around it, House became attracted to it and taught himself guitar in his mid 20s, after moving back to the Clarksdale area, inspired by the work of Willie Wilson. He began playing alongside Charlie Patton, Willie Brown, Robert Johnson, Fiddlin’ Joe Martin, and Leroy Williams, around Robinsonville, Mississippi and north to Memphis, Tennessee until 1942. In 1943 House abandoned his music career and moved to New York where he worked on the New York Central Railroad until his “rediscovery” in June of 1964.
Before his 1964 “rediscovery” Son House would participate in just three recording sessions. One in 1930 for the “Paramount” label which yielded his “classic” recordings and two sessions taped by Alan Lomax for the Library Of Congress in 1941 and 1942. After his rediscovery and return to recording Son House would tour and make several records which were issued on a variety of labels. In 1974 House retired from music for the last time. Son House died in Detroit, MI on October 19, 1988.
Son House and Skip James were the first two early blues musicians to be “rediscovered” by blues historians in 1964. Their rediscovery gave rise to an entire “Blues Revival” movement which saw the further rediscovery of several more early blues musicians throughout the mid-1960’s including Sleepy John Estes, Yank Rachell, Furry Lewis, Mississippi John Hurt, and the Reverend Gary Davis.
Personally I have mixed feelings about the whole “Blues Revival” movement. On one hand it is excellent that these men finally got the proper credit and respect they deserved for being what they were; some of the greatest musicians the world has ever seen. I’m also glad that these men were able to live comfortably in the years before they died due to the influx of money that they received after reviving their recording careers. On the other hand most of these men were WAY past their prime as musicians and some of their recorded performances are just painful to listen to. Son House is a good case in point. I have a recording of a live Son House concert at New York City’s Gaslight Cafe in 1965 and while it is not terrible it is nowhere as exciting as the 1930 recordings he recorded for the Paramount label. Then I have another recording of Son House recorded 4 years later in 1969 at this home in Rochester. New York. Listening to the 1969 recording is one of the most disturbing sounds that a human being can experience. House sounds as if he is on his deathbed (although he would live another 19 years) and listening to the recording I can’t help but feel really bad for him. I think that, in a lot of cases, the “Blues Revival” movement caused a lot of harm to the reputations of these once mighty blues musicians.
“Dry Spell Blues - Part 1” was recorded on May 28, 1930 in Grafton, Wisconsin. It was issued on the “Paramount” label.
