Blind Lemon Jefferson
Blind Lemon Jefferson, byname of Lemon Jefferson, was born in Couchman, Texas, on September 24, 1893. He was the youngest of seven children and the only one of them born blind. He started out playing on street corners near his hometown, by 1917 Lemon was living in Dallas and was already well known and admired by his peers. Jefferson became an itinerant entertainer in his teens, learning a repertoire of prison songs, blues, moans, spirituals, and dance numbers. He worked in the streets and in brothels, saloons, and parties in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Virginia.
In the early 1910s, Jefferson began traveling frequently to Dallas, where he met and played with the blues musician Lead Belly (Huddie Ledbetter). Lead Belly worked with Jefferson for a time, and through his recordings for the Paramount label (1926–29). Jefferson was one of the earliest and most prominent figures in the blues movement developing in the section of Dallas. By 1917, he met a kid, Aaron Thibeaux Walker, aka T-Bone Walker. Jefferson taught Walker the basics of playing blues guitar in exchange for Walker’s occasional services as a guide.
In Houston, Sam ‘Lightnin’ Hopkins would take on this role, and both benefitted from the blues education Lemon provided. Discovered by a talent scout in 1925, Jefferson soon went to Chicago. Paramount records signed Jefferson to make records. Jefferson’s high voice, shouting style, and advanced guitar playing, as well as his lyrics and themes, became staples of the blues. Artists such as Leadbelly, who worked with Jefferson for a time, continued his technique. In Chicago, he recorded his first tracks.
Uncharacteristically, his first two recordings from this session were gospel songs. A second recording session was held in March 1926. His first releases under his own name, “Booster Blues” and “Dry Southern Blues”, were hits. Their popularity 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 put down more than 90 tracks, mostly for the Paramount label. Jefferson helped popularized blues across the country with such songs as “See That My Grave Is Kept Clean,” “Black Snake Moan” and “Matchbox Blues.”
Though he was not the first folk (or “country”) blues singer–guitarist, or the first to make commercial recordings, Jefferson was the first to attain a national audience. His extremely successful recording career began in 1926 and continued until 1929. He recorded about 100 tracks between 1926 and 1929. Jefferson’s “old-fashioned” sound and confident musicianship made it easy to market him. His skillful guitar playing and impressive vocal range opened the door for a new generation of male solo blues performers.
Jefferson’s “Low Down Mojo Blues” is a terrific example of his command of the guitar. “Match Box Blues” features a wonderful melody, as does “Bootin’ Me Bout,” where he knowingly lays down a strong downbeat. Although his career was brief, Jefferson has served an important influence on a range of performers. Dubbed the “Father of Texas Blues“, Blind Lemon Jefferson’s influence has impacted many of the great blues musicians, such as Lead Belly, Lightnin’ Hopkins, T-Bone Walker, and Charlie Patton.