Blind Lemon
Jefferson
(1897-1929)
An American blues singer and guitar player from the Dallas,Texas region. Jefferson, his eyesight deteriorating since early childhood, traveled through towns in Texas, singing his blues tunes with the likes of Leadbelly. His style contrasted from the Mississippi guitarists by not relying on the slides, open tuning and basic repetitive harmonies.2
In 1925, Lemon moved to Chicago and started recording. He was one of the first popular blues recording artists and one of the most influential black American folk blues singer of his day, combining blues with ragtime and utilizing harmonic sequences that simulated vocal arrangements. Lemon relied on the use of bent notes on the guitar. While he rarely used a slide, he did so successfully on a recording entitled Jack O'Diamond Blues.
Many of Lemon's compositions were frequently autobiographical. Other selections demonstrated a concern for the fate of prison inmates. Some noteworthy songs from Blind Lemon Jefferson includes: Long Lonesome Blues (1926), Shuckin' Sugar Blues (1926), Jack O'Diamond Blues (1926), Black Snake Moan (1927), Match Box Blues (1927), Pneumonia Blues (1929), Hamgman's Blues (1928), Blind Lemon's Penitentiary Blues (1928).
