"Blind" Lemon Jefferson (September 24, 1893 – December 12?, 1929) was a
bluesBlues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre created within the African-American communities in the Deep South of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
singer and
guitarThe guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that adapts readily to a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six strings, but four-, seven-, eight-, ten-, eleven-, twelve-, thirteen- and eighteen-string guitars also exist. The size and shape of the neck and the base of the guitar...
ist from
TexasTexas is the second-largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous United States.The name had wide usage among native Americans, meaning "friends" or "allies"...
. He was one of the most popular blues singers of the 1920s, and has been titled "Father of the
Texas BluesTexas blues is a subgenre of the blues, and of course is not limited to Texas-based musicians. It has had various style variations but typically has been played with more swing than other blues styles.-Distinguishing characteristics:...
".
Jefferson's singing and self-accompaniment were distinctive as a result of his high-pitched voice and originality on the guitar. He was not influential on some younger blues singers of his generation, as they did not seek to imitate him as they did other commercially successful artists. However, later blues and rock and roll musicians attempted to imitate both his songs and his musical style.
Early life
Jefferson was born
blindBlindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
near
Coutchman, TexasCoutchman was a town in northern Freestone County, Texas, United States, some 5 miles west of Streetman on farm road 489....
in
Freestone CountyFreestone County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2000, the population was 17,867. Its county seat is Fairfield.-Geography:According to the U.S...
, near present-day
Wortham, TexasWortham is a town in Freestone County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,082 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Wortham is located at ....
. Jefferson was one of eight children born to sharecroppers Alex and Clarissa Jefferson. Disputes regarding his exact birth date derive from contradictory census records and draft registration records. By 1900, the family was farming southeast of
Streetman, TexasStreetman is a town in Freestone and Navarro Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. In 1990 the population was 260. The population dropped to 203 in 2000.-Geography:...
, and Lemon Jefferson's birth date is indicated as September 1893 in the 1900 census. The 1910 census, taken in May before his birthday, further confirms his birth year as 1893, and indicated the family was farming northwest of Wortham, near Lemon Jefferson's birthplace.
In his 1917
draft registrationConscription in the United States has been employed several times, usually during war but also during the nominal peace of the Cold War...
, Jefferson gave his birth date as October 26, 1894, further stating that he then lived in
Dallas, TexasDallas , with a population of 1,279,910, is the third-largest city in Texas and the 8th-largest in the United States. The city is the main economic center of the 12-county Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area that according to the March 2009 U.S. Census Bureau release, had a population of...
, and that he had been blind from birth. In the 1920 Census, he is recorded as having returned to the Freestone County area, and he was living with his half-brother Kit Banks on a farm between Wortham and Streetman.
Jefferson began playing the guitar in his early teens, and soon after he began performing at picnics and parties. He also became a
street musicianBusking is the practice of performing in public places for tips and gratuities. People engaging in this practice are called buskers or street performers. Busking performances can be just about anything that people find entertaining...
, playing in
East TexasEast Texas is a distinct geographic and ecological area in the U.S. state of Texas.According to the Handbook of Texas, the East Texas area "may be separated from the rest of Texas roughly by a line extending from the Red River in north central Lamar County southwestward to east central Limestone...
towns in front of
barberA barber is someone whose occupation is to cut any type of hair, give shaves, and trim beards. In previous times, barbers also performed surgery and dentistry. In more recent times, with the development of safety razors and the decreasing prevalence of beards, most barbers primarily cut hair...
shops and on corners. According to his cousin, Alec Jefferson, quoted in the notes for
Blind Lemon Jefferson, Classic Sides:
- They were rough. Men were hustling women
Prostitution is the act or practice of engaging in sex acts for hire. In most cultures, prostitution is viewed by many as a deviant profession, either illegal or socially discouraged...
and selling bootleg and Lemon was singing for them all night... he'd start singing about eight and go on until four in the morning... mostly it would be just him sitting there and playing and singing all night.
By the early 1910s, Jefferson began traveling frequently to Dallas, where he met and played with fellow blues musician
LeadbellyHuddie William Ledbetter was an American folk musician, notable for his strong vocals, his virtuosity on the 12-string guitar, and the songbook of folk standards he introduced....
. In Dallas, Jefferson was one of the earliest and most prominent figures in the blues movement developing in Dallas'
Deep EllumDeep Ellum is an arts and entertainment district near downtown in east Dallas, Texas . It lies directly east of the elevated I-45/US 75 freeway and extends to Exposition Avenue, connected to downtown by, from north to south, Pacific, Elm, Main, Commerce, and Canton streets...
area. Jefferson likely moved to Deep Ellum in a more permanent fashion by 1917, where he met Aaron Thibeaux Walker, also known as
T-Bone WalkerT-Bone Walker was an American blues guitarist, singer, pianist and songwriter who was one of the most important pioneers of the electric guitar. His electric guitar solos were among the first heard on modern blues recordings...
. Jefferson taught Walker the basics of blues guitar, in exchange for Walker's occasional services as a guide. Also, by the early 1920s, Jefferson was earning enough money for his musical performances to support a wife, and possibly a child. However, firm evidence for both his marriage and any offspring is unavailable.
The beginning of the recording career
Unlike many artists who were "discovered" and recorded in their normal venues, in December 1925 or January 1926, he was taken to
ChicagoChicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and with more than 2.8 million people, the 3rd largest city in the United States...
,
IllinoisIllinois , the 21st state admitted to the United States of America, is the most populous and demographically diverse Midwestern state and the fifth most populous state in the nation...
, to record his first tracks. Uncharacteristically, Jefferson's first two recordings from this session were
gospelGospel music is music that is written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
songs ("I Want to be like Jesus in my Heart" and "All I Want is that Pure Religion"), released under the name
Deacon L. J. Bates. This led to a second recording session in March 1926. His first releases under his own name, "Booster Blues" and "Dry Southern Blues," were hits; this led to the release of the other two songs from that session, "Got the Blues" and "Long Lonesome Blues," which became a runaway success, with sales in six figures. He recorded about 100 tracks between 1926 and 1929; 43
recordsA gramophone record, commonly known as phonograph record, vinyl record, or simply record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed modulated spiral groove usually starting near the periphery and ending near the centre of the disc...
were issued, all but one for
Paramount RecordsParamount Records was an American record label, best known for its recordings of African-American jazz and blues in the 1920s and early 1930s, including such artists as Ma Rainey and Blind Lemon Jefferson....
. Unfortunately, Paramount Records' studio techniques and quality were infamously bad, and the resulting recordings sound no better than if they had been recorded in a hotel room. In fact, in May 1926, Paramount had Jefferson re-record his hits "Got the Blues" and "Long Lonesome Blues" in the superior facilities at
Marsh LaboratoriesAutograph Records was a United States record label of the 1920s.Autograph was a small label, owned by Marsh Laboratories Incorporated of Chicago, Illinois. Marsh Laboratories in turn was owned by electrical engineer Orlando R. Marsh...
, and subsequent releases used that version. Both versions appear on compilation albums and may be compared.
Success with Paramount Records
It was largely due to the popularity of artists such as Blind Lemon Jefferson and contemporaries such as
Blind Blake "Blind" Blake was an influential blues singer and guitarist. He is often called "The King Of Ragtime Guitar".-Biography:...
and
Ma RaineyGertrude Malissa Nix Pridgett Rainey, better known as Ma Rainey , was one of the earliest known American professional blues singers and one of the first generation of such singers to record. She was billed as The Mother of the Blues...
that Paramount became the leading recording company for the blues in the 1920s. Jefferson's earnings reputedly enabled him to buy a car and employ chauffeurs (although there is debate over the reliability of this as well); he was given a Ford car "worth over $700" by Mayo Williams, Paramount's connection with the black community. This was a frequently seen compensation for recording rights in that market. Jefferson is known to have done an unusual amount of traveling for the time in the American South, which is reflected in the difficulty of pigeonholing his music into one regional category. He sticks to no musical conventions, varying his
riffIn music, a riff is an ostinato figure: a repeated chord progression, pattern, refrain or melodic figure, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or accompaniment of a musical composition. Though they are most often found in rock music, Latin, funk...
s and rhythm and singing complex and expressive lyrics in a manner exceptional at the time for a "simple country blues singer." According to North Carolina musician Walter Davis, Jefferson played on the streets in
Johnson City, TennesseeJohnson City is a city in Carter, Sullivan, and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, with most of the city being in Washington County. The 2008 population for Johnson City was estimated at 61,990 by the United States Census, making it the eighth largest city in the state...
during the early 1920s at which time Davis and fellow entertainer Clarence Greene learned the art of blues guitar.
Jefferson was reputedly unhappy with his royalties (although Williams said that Jefferson had a bank account containing as much as $1500). In 1927, when Williams moved to
OKeh RecordsOkeh Records began as an independent record label based in the United States of America in 1918; from the late 1920s on, it was a subsidiary of Columbia Records.-History:...
, he took Jefferson with him, and OKeh quickly recorded and released Jefferson's "Matchbox Blues" backed with "Black Snake Moan," which was to be his only OKeh recording, probably because of contractual obligations with Paramount. Jefferson's two songs released on Okeh have considerably better sound quality than on his Paramount records at the time. When he had returned to Paramount a few months later, "Matchbox Blues" had already become such a hit that Paramount re-recorded and released two new versions, under
producerIn the music industry, a record producer has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes...
Arthur Laibly.
In 1927, Jefferson recorded another of his now classic songs, the haunting "
See That My Grave Is Kept Clean"See That My Grave Is Kept Clean" is a classic blues song written by Blind Lemon Jefferson. The song was later covered by Bob Dylan on his eponymous debut album Bob Dylan. He would go on to record the song again with The Band on The Genuine Basement Tapes years later.Other artists to cover Blind...
" (once again using the pseudonym Deacon L. J. Bates) along with two other uncharacteristically spiritual songs, "He Arose from the Dead" and "Where Shall I Be." Of the three, "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean" became such a big hit that it was re-recorded and re-released in 1928.
Stories
As his fame grew, so did the tales regarding his life, often personally involving the teller.
T-Bone WalkerT-Bone Walker was an American blues guitarist, singer, pianist and songwriter who was one of the most important pioneers of the electric guitar. His electric guitar solos were among the first heard on modern blues recordings...
states that as a boy, he was employed by Jefferson to lead him around the streets of Dallas; he would have been of the appropriate age at the time. A Paramount employee told biographer
Orrin KeepnewsOrrin Keepnews is an American writer and jazz record producer.- Career :Keepnews graduated from Columbia with a degree in English in 1943...
that Jefferson was a womanizing sloppy drunk; on the other hand, Jefferson's neighbor in Chicago,
Romeo NelsonIromeio "Romeo" Nelson was an American boogie woogie pianist. His recordings from 1929 are regarded as some of the finest, and certainly the fastest, boogie woogie showpieces on record....
, reports him as being "warm and cordial," and singer Rube Lacy states that Jefferson always refused to play on a Sunday, "even if you give me two hundred." He is claimed to have earned money wrestling before his musical success, which is further claimed as proof that he was not blind at the time (something of a
non sequiturNon sequitur is Latin for "it does not follow." It is most often used as a noun to describe illogical statements.Non sequitur may refer to:* Non sequitur, an irrelevant, often humorous comment to a preceding topic or statement....
).
Victoria SpiveyVictoria Spivey was an American blues singer and songwriter.-Life and career:She was born Victoria Regina Spivey in Houston, Texas, the daughter of Grant and Addie Spivey. Her father was a part-time musician and a flagman for the railroad; her mother was a nurse...
elliptically credits Jefferson as someone who "could sure
feel his way around."
Death and grave
Jefferson died in Chicago in December 1929. The cause of death is unknown, and though rumors swirled that a jealous lover poisoned his coffee, a more likely scenario is that he died due to a heart attack after being disoriented during a snowstorm (another scenario is that he froze to death). The book "Tolbert's Texas" claims that he was killed while being robbed of a large royalty cash payment by a guide taking him to Union Station to catch a train home to Texas. Paramount Records paid for the return of his body to Texas by train, accompanied by pianist Will Ezell. Jefferson was buried at Wortham Negro Cemetery (now Wortham Black Cemetery). Far from his grave being kept clean, it was unmarked until 1967, when a Texas Historical Marker was erected in the general area of his plot, the precise location being unknown. By 1996, the cemetery and marker were in poor condition, but a new granite headstone was erected in 1997. In 2007 the cemetery's name was changed to Blind Lemon Memorial Cemetery and keeping his wishes his gravesite is being kept clean by a cemetery committee in Wortham Texas.
Discography and awards
Jefferson had an intricate and fast style of guitar playing and a particularly high-pitched voice. He was a founder of the
Texas bluesTexas blues is a subgenre of the blues, and of course is not limited to Texas-based musicians. It has had various style variations but typically has been played with more swing than other blues styles.-Distinguishing characteristics:...
sound and an important influence on other blues singers and guitarists, including Lead Belly and
Lightnin' HopkinsSam "Lightnin’" Hopkins was a country blues guitarist, from Houston, Texas, United States.-Life:Born in Centerville, Texas, Hopkins' childhood was immersed in the sounds of the blues and he developed a deeper appreciation at the age of 8 when he met Blind Lemon Jefferson at a church picnic in...
. The white North Carolina performer
Arthel "Doc" WatsonArthel Lane "Doc" Watson is an American guitar player, songwriter and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues and gospel music. He has won seven Grammy awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Watson's flatpicking skills and knowledge of traditional American music are highly regarded...
credited listening to Jefferson's recordings as his first exposure to the blues, which would powerfully influence his own style.
He was the author of many tunes covered by later musicians, including the classic "
See That My Grave Is Kept Clean"See That My Grave Is Kept Clean" is a classic blues song written by Blind Lemon Jefferson. The song was later covered by Bob Dylan on his eponymous debut album Bob Dylan. He would go on to record the song again with The Band on The Genuine Basement Tapes years later.Other artists to cover Blind...
." Another of his tunes, "
Matchbox Blues"Matchbox" is a rock and roll and rockabilly song written by Carl Perkins and first recorded by him at Sun Records in December of 1956 and released on February 11, 1957 as a 45 single on Sun Records. It has become one of Perkins' best-known recordings. The song "Match Box Blues" has a long history,...
," was recorded more than 30 years later by the Beatles, albeit in a
rockabillyRockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, and emerged in the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
version credited to
Carl PerkinsCarl Lee Perkins was an American "rockabilly" musician who recorded most notably at Sun Records Studio in Memphis, Tennessee beginning during 1954...
, who himself did not credit Jefferson on his 1955 recording. Given this influence, it is unfortunate that many of the details of his life remain shrouded in mystery, perhaps forever; even the only known picture of him, shown here, is heavily retouched, with a fake tie painted in by hand. However, at the time, "
race musicRace music is the term used in the first half of the 20th century for the kinds of African American music of that time, like jazz, boogie-woogie, blues, jump blues, and rhythm and blues...
" and its white cousin, "hillbilly music," were not considered to be worthy of consideration as art, rather as a low-cost product to be sold and soon forgotten.
- Blind Lemon Jefferson is the featured musician on a State of Texas license plate.
- B. B. King
Riley B. King , known by the stage name B.B. King, is an American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter acclaimed for his expressive singing and guitar playing....
has always maintained that Jefferson was a huge influence on his singing and guitar playing.
The
Rock and Roll Hall of FameThe Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shores of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, dedicated to recording the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, and other people who have in some major way influenced the music...
listed one song by Blind Lemon Jefferson of the 500 songs that shaped rock and roll.
|
| Year Recorded |
Title |
| 1927 |
Matchbox Blues "Matchbox" is a rock and roll and rockabilly song written by Carl Perkins and first recorded by him at Sun Records in December of 1956 and released on February 11, 1957 as a 45 single on Sun Records. It has become one of Perkins' best-known recordings. The song "Match Box Blues" has a long history,...
|
Jefferson was among the inaugural class of blues musicians inducted into the
Blues Hall of FameThe Blues Hall of Fame is a listing of people who have significantly contributed to blues music. Started in 1980 by the Blues Foundation, it honors those who have performed, recorded, or documented blues.-2009:*Reverend Gary Davis*Son Seals*Taj Mahal...
.
Covers of Blind Lemon Jefferson
- The White Stripes
The White Stripes is an American rock duo, formed in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan. The group consists of songwriter Jack White and Meg White ....
's "De Ballot of De Boll Weevil" is a cover versionIn popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition of a previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of "Boll Weevil Blues."
- Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet and painter who has been a major figure in popular music for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was, at first, an informal chronicler and then an apparently reluctant figurehead of social unrest...
's "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean" on Bob DylanBob Dylan is the eponymous debut album from the American artist of the same name. It was released on March 19, 1962 on Columbia Records, when Dylan was 20 years old. It features two original compositions, the rest being old folk standards, and was produced by Columbia's legendary talent scout...
.
- The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960 who became one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed bands in the history of popular music...
's "Match Box" was a cover versionIn popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition of a previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of "Matchbox Blues."
- B. B. King
Riley B. King , known by the stage name B.B. King, is an American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter acclaimed for his expressive singing and guitar playing....
's "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean" on One Kind FavorOne Kind Favor is B.B. King's 24th studio album. It was released on August 26, 2008 by Geffen Records.The album won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album at the 51st Grammy Awards.-Track listing:...
- Counting Crows
Counting Crows is a rock band originating from Berkeley, California. The group gained popularity in 1994 following the release of its debut album August and Everything After, which featured the hit single "Mr. Jones". The band's influences include Van Morrison, R.E.M., Mike & The Mechanics,...
lead singer Adam DuritzAdam Fredric Duritz is an American musician and record producer. He is the lead singer and founding member of the rock band Counting Crows...
accidentally claimed credit for the song "Mean Jumper Blues" in the liner notes of the re-release of August And Everything AfterAugust and Everything After is the first commercially-released album of the American rock band Counting Crows, released September 14, 1993....
(Deluxe Edition). The cover is featured as part of a selection of early demoA demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for musicians to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
tracks recorded by the Counting Crows. Duritz apologized immediately after this error was brought to his attention in his personal blog.
External links