SKIP JAMES
Skip James was born in 1902 on Woodbine Plantation near Betonia, Mississippi.
He learned to play the guitar at the age of eight. According to various sources,
his early life was spent performing at roadhouses and parties, but he also
worked as a sharecropper, bootlegger, pimp, and brothel pianist.
In 1931 James recorded 18 songs (some claim there were 26 songs, but only 18 were found).
These songs are said to make up the most original collection of blues performances
ever recorded. He had an unusual playing technique: almost always an open tuning in
E-minor, and a fast-picking, rhythmic style as haunting as his mournful falsetto vocals.
The dark side of the blues...
The year after these legendary recordings James found religion and became a Baptist minister.
In 1946 he became a Methodist minister.
He was rediscovered in 1964 and played the "blues revival" folk festival circuit along with
Mississippi John Hurt and others. He also made some new recordings at that time, playing both guitar
and piano. Some say he was only in it for the money in the 60s and seemed bitter and resentful.
Skip James died of cancer in 1969.
LOGGS favorite SKIP JAMES songs:
I'm So Glad, Hardtime Killing Floor Blues, Devil Got My Woman
