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James Thomas (blues musician)

 

 
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James "Son" Thomas (14 October 1926 in Eden
Eden, Mississippi

Eden is a village in Yazoo County, Mississippi, Mississippi, United States. The population was 126 at the 2000 census....
, Mississippi
Mississippi

Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Deep South of the United States. Jackson, Mississippi is the state capital and largest city. The state's name comes from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, and takes its name from the Anishinaabe language word misi-ziibi ....
 — 26 June 1993 in Greenville
Greenville, Mississippi

Greenville is a city in Washington County, Mississippi, Mississippi, United States. The population was 41,633 at the 2000 census, but according to the 2007 census bureau estimates, has since declined to 36,178....
, Mississippi
Mississippi

Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Deep South of the United States. Jackson, Mississippi is the state capital and largest city. The state's name comes from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, and takes its name from the Anishinaabe language word misi-ziibi ....
) was an American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 blues
Blues

Blues is a music genre based on the use of the blues chord progressions and the blue notes. Though several blues musical form s exist, the 12-bar blues chord progressions are the most frequently encountered....
 musician
Musician

A musician is a person who plays or writes music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music:* An instrumentalist plays a musical instrument....
, gravedigger
Gravedigger

A gravedigger is a cemetery worker responsible for digging Grave used in the process of burial....
 and sculptor
Sculpture

Sculpture is Three-dimensional space artwork created by shaping or combining hard and or plastic material, sound, and or text and or light, commonly Stone sculpture , metal, glass, or wood....
 from Leland
Leland, Mississippi

Leland is a city in Washington County, Mississippi, Mississippi, United States. The population was 5,502 at the 2000 census.The town is located in the heart of the Mississippi Delta on the banks of Deer Creek, which is decorated each Christmas season with floats that bring visitors from afar to view the colorful displays....
, Mississippi
Mississippi

Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Deep South of the United States. Jackson, Mississippi is the state capital and largest city. The state's name comes from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, and takes its name from the Anishinaabe language word misi-ziibi ....
.

in Eden, Mississippi, Thomas was known as a folk artist for his sculptures made from un-fired clay which he dug out of the banks of the Yazoo River
Yazoo River

The Yazoo River is a river in the U.S. state of Mississippi.The Yazoo River was named by French explorer Ren?-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle in 1682 in reference to the Yazoo tribe living near the river's mouth....
. His most famous sculpted images were skulls (often featuring actual human teeth) which mirrored his job as a gravedigger and his often stated philosophy that "we all end up in the clay".






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James "Son" Thomas (14 October 1926 in Eden
Eden, Mississippi

Eden is a village in Yazoo County, Mississippi, Mississippi, United States. The population was 126 at the 2000 census....
, Mississippi
Mississippi

Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Deep South of the United States. Jackson, Mississippi is the state capital and largest city. The state's name comes from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, and takes its name from the Anishinaabe language word misi-ziibi ....
 — 26 June 1993 in Greenville
Greenville, Mississippi

Greenville is a city in Washington County, Mississippi, Mississippi, United States. The population was 41,633 at the 2000 census, but according to the 2007 census bureau estimates, has since declined to 36,178....
, Mississippi
Mississippi

Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Deep South of the United States. Jackson, Mississippi is the state capital and largest city. The state's name comes from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, and takes its name from the Anishinaabe language word misi-ziibi ....
) was an American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 blues
Blues

Blues is a music genre based on the use of the blues chord progressions and the blue notes. Though several blues musical form s exist, the 12-bar blues chord progressions are the most frequently encountered....
 musician
Musician

A musician is a person who plays or writes music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music:* An instrumentalist plays a musical instrument....
, gravedigger
Gravedigger

A gravedigger is a cemetery worker responsible for digging Grave used in the process of burial....
 and sculptor
Sculpture

Sculpture is Three-dimensional space artwork created by shaping or combining hard and or plastic material, sound, and or text and or light, commonly Stone sculpture , metal, glass, or wood....
 from Leland
Leland, Mississippi

Leland is a city in Washington County, Mississippi, Mississippi, United States. The population was 5,502 at the 2000 census.The town is located in the heart of the Mississippi Delta on the banks of Deer Creek, which is decorated each Christmas season with floats that bring visitors from afar to view the colorful displays....
, Mississippi
Mississippi

Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Deep South of the United States. Jackson, Mississippi is the state capital and largest city. The state's name comes from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, and takes its name from the Anishinaabe language word misi-ziibi ....
.

Life and career

Born in Eden, Mississippi, Thomas was known as a folk artist for his sculptures made from un-fired clay which he dug out of the banks of the Yazoo River
Yazoo River

The Yazoo River is a river in the U.S. state of Mississippi.The Yazoo River was named by French explorer Ren?-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle in 1682 in reference to the Yazoo tribe living near the river's mouth....
. His most famous sculpted images were skulls (often featuring actual human teeth) which mirrored his job as a gravedigger and his often stated philosophy that "we all end up in the clay". Thomas' skulls can be found on display in several blues museum
Museum

A museum is a "permanent institution in the service of society and of its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment, for the purposes of education, study, and entertainment", as defined by the International Coun...
s throughout Mississippi. Thomas played at numerous blues festivals
Music festival

A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday....
 and private parties throughout the area including the Mississippi Delta Blues and Heritage Festival. His later performances saw him accompanied by harmonica
Harmonica

The harmonica is a free reed aerophone wind instrument which is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes....
 player Walter Liniger. Thomas was recorded
Sound recording and reproduction

Sound recording and reproduction is the electrical or mechanics inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects....
 by several small record label
Record label

In the music industry, a record label can be a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of recorded sound and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the Record producer, manufacturing, distribution , marketing and promotion, and enforcement of copyright protec...
s and is probably best known for his album Gateway to the Delta which was recorded by Rust College
Rust College

Rust College is a Historically black colleges and universities liberal arts college located in Holly Springs, Mississippi, Mississippi. Located approximately 35 miles southeast of Memphis, Tennessee, Tennessee, it is the second-oldest private college in the state and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and one of only ten historica...
 in Holly Springs, Mississippi
Holly Springs, Mississippi

Holly Springs is a city in Marshall County, Mississippi, Mississippi, United States. The population was 7,957 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Marshall County, Mississippi....
, although he remains an obscure figure outside of dedicated blues communities.

He appeared in the film
Film

Film encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the film industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or special effects....
s Delta Blues Singer: James "Sonny Ford" Thomas in 1970 and Give My Poor Heart Ease: Mississippi Delta Bluesmen in 1975, plus the short Mississippi Delta Blues in 1974.

He died in 1993 in Greenville, Mississippi. Thomas is buried in Leland and memorialized by a headstone placed in 1996 by the Mt. Zion Memorial Fund
Mt. Zion Memorial Fund

The Mt. Zion Memorial Fund is a Mississippi non-profit corporation formed in 1989 and named after the 108 year old Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Morgan City, Mississippi, Mississippi....
 and paid for by the fellow musician John Fogerty
John Fogerty

John Cameron Fogerty is an United States Rock music singer, songwriter, and guitarist, best known for his time with the swamp rock/roots rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival....
. His epitaph consists of lyrics
Lyrics

Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song, either by speaking or singing. The word 'lyric' comes from the Greek word ,lyricos, meaning "singing to the lyre"....
 from one of his songs. His son Pat Thomas, continues to play and perform his father's songs.