Son House was recording within approximately two years of picking up the guitar.... he was scouted by Charley Patton no less. Primitive? Primal more like and a force of nature. There’s more power in his right hand and vocal than Led Zeppelin in full flight......if he conveyed this much power in his older years imagine the power he unleashed in his early years in a Juke Joint! As far as questioning his guitar ability? His playing was imperfectly perfect!!!
In the blues style you have the off beat style where you don’t go by the music you make the music catch up with you the singers telling his story they music is at a slow pace we call this style the off beat or the rare style a classic of it own lane they do it in today’s music the sing off beat and the people love it the people don’t want the same everyday 1980s style on the beat songs anymore 👍💵🤷♀️🤷🏽👨🏽💻👩🏼💻🤔😎
I am fortunate to have his autograph, he seemed to be amused by his new found fame after his "rediscovery." After all these years the Blues still touch my soul.
I met Son house in Rochester, NY in 1972. It was not until years later that I fully appreciated the fact I shook hands with a man who shook hands with Robert Johnson!! He is the real deal!!
Son House- A Force of Nature-He is the BLUES-Technique has it's place & you might be able to play a million notes a minute but Damn if you ain't got SOUL it don't mean shit.He was 4Real & yes thank you for this-Peace
I don’t get this guy’s repeated emphasis on how Son House wasn’t a technically good guitar player. He is right that the “soul” of the singing and performance is what really matters, but in my view, House’s guitar playing is perfect. I mean what really is “good” guitar playing, ultimately? With House, there’s a singular genius of musicality in the entire package of his playing and singing and energy. It all goes together and it is brilliant and absolutely unduplicatable.
The reason why Son House holds his slide here, in the way that he does, and at that angle, is because he had suffered severe frost bite to his hand a short time before that recording! He could only use some of his fingers on that hand and was very restricted. It's also the reason why he could only play in open tunings around this time. Eddie "Son" House is 69 years old here, Playing with a severely frost bitten hand and a 40 year hiatus from the instrument.. I would say his playing is absolutely phenomenal! "Rough round the edges" gtf lol
Great video, Son House was also a witness of Robert Johnson's crossroads, when Robert used to go his shows and ask to borrow his guitar and Son said no because he has no idea of play it then he disappear like for 10 months and when he came back he ask to borrow the guitar again and rest is history
thank you for this vid and ur views on son house,,,,i dont care what people say, he is my favorite delta blues player of all time---like u said, not really a great musician, or a person for that matter, but he had the blues, he felt the blues, he was the blues
13:34 Allan Wilson aka "Blind Owl" was the co-founder, lead guitar and co-singer w/ the original Canned Heat. He died in 1970 just 2 weeks before Jimi Hendrix, 4 weeks before Janis Joplin and 10 months before Jim Morrison. All were 27 years old.
I wholeheartedly disagree with your statements that Stone House was not a good technical guitar player. Is early recordings were phenomenal. Don't compare them with his we discovered recordings after all those years of not playing and being an alcoholic.
I have to agree, in his later years Son House was a 'primitive' guitar player, but that doesn't diminish his uniquely powerful style, nor his genius. The only thing 'wrong' with his playing is when he was sometimes painfully out of tune. I wish somebody had found a way to gently tune his guitar up for him!
Third view, first like and now first comment! Thanks for the video. Your know your stuff, sir! I took a look at your guitar site. Might I suggest you do a copy of the Gretsch 5810 Bo Diddly guitar now no longer in production, but make it 80 cm long so it can go in hold luggage. I think it would sell as an interesting travel guitar! (er, if you do this you gotta give me one free, right?!) Best wishes Andy
Thanks for that! Cool idea for an 80cm guitar - only trouble is I have a dozen or so Les Paul scale necks, and a guitar made with one of those will be at least 100-120cm long.
I hate to say it as a fan of Son, but Wolf was totally in the right, too. Son was known to take to drink way too much too often. Wolf was not known for that at all. He was a serious musician who believed in giving the best performances he could, and he expected a lot from his band. He also loved his family, and he took great care to show it everyday, a genuine family man. On top of that, he rewarded his band with great pay and even (almost unheard of at the time) benefits. I love Son House's music, but Wolf was a true professional, an awesome musician, and a great man, period.
Perhaps closer to any other, during our boomer lifetimes, to the seminal Charlie Patton among the Dockery farm lineage. Son House somewhat overlooked I’d suggest due to the folklore built around Robert Johnson. Whom although rightfully worthy of his adulation, i think it might be underestimated how much Johnson’s iconic status is due to a recording quality more acceptable to modern ears than the likes of Son House, Charlie Patton or Skip James?
When I met him about 15 years ago they said he was shot in the south and that's why he had a horrible limp. Really short guy too. But a good sense of humor.
I want to Thank You for mentioning at the end of your Video that you have to have soul, you have to have it running and coursing thru your veins. I'm a White Boy and have had many Black People look and say in shock when I played and sang "The White Boy's Got Soul". I just laughed because you gotta have been to hell and back. You got the blues, Charley Patton was doing things with the Guitar that people only seen Jimi Hendrix do
Strangely enough I was having a discussion with someone, re: Willie Brown pictures. Can you expand at all as to why these are 'possible' Willie Brown pictures? You know anything else about them? A great tribute to one of the greats. Really enjoyed!!
Can't add anything much more - they could be photos of the somewhat famous blues player, or photos of other people named William Brown, they could be photos of random guitar players that someone has decided to palm off as Willie Brown photos. It's pretty much impossible to tell - there's a lot less scholarship on Willie Brown than there is on, for example, Robert Johnson.
Phil Davison Yes. I was aware that there is less scholarship, and the area is a grey one, ie: the Willie Brown who played with House and Patton may not have been the same one who recorded with Alan Lomax. Chances are it's not Willie Brown then... Thanks for your help.
Son House was the greatest and the most powerful. If he had published his music as much Robert Johnson, he would be more well-known. And no white person taught Son House how to play the guitar.
I'm a huge fan of Son, but it's more complicated than that. As it turns out, when Dick Waterman and his friends finally located Son in the 1960s living in Rochester, NY, Son cheerfully explained that he hadn't played guitar since the 1940s, and he had essentially forgotten how to play. Enter Alan Wilson of the band Canned Heat, who spent quite a bit of time, who was brought in to "show Son House how to play like Son House," as it was put at the time. "Blind Owl" Wilson didn't exactly teach Son how to play, but his help was essential in getting Son to remember all that he had forgotten in those lost decades. Even then, Son didn't play with nearly the speed that he had back in those old recordings of him, especially with the likes of "Preachin' the Blues."
@@Gunners_Mate_Guns I'm amazed there are people here who don't know that story, or they misunderstand, or resent it. Alan Wilson idolised these old blues musicians, he knew their work intimately.
@@KayEl58 100% correct Alan considered it an honor to help one of his main influences, and he fully realized just what a legend Son was. We owe Alan a huge debt of gratitude for what he did giving Son a second act, thereby making it possible for a whole new generation to attend his performances and appreciate the man's contribution to 20th century American music.
@@Gunners_Mate_GunsAlan 'Blind Owl' Wilson and those who inspired him to reach the heights he reached - may they never be forotten. Nice talking to you @PinkOld 😊
Now you're gonna comment on how he holds his slide?! This man had more soul in his pinky tip than your British ass has ever had. Who cares if the slide rattles a bit? Between his playing and singing he is more than you'll ever be.
![[MV] A leap of faith...ความเชื่อใจครั้งสุดท้าย (From "Petrichor the series")](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/U1piZH2CNXA/mqdefault.jpg)
Son House was recording within approximately two years of picking up the guitar.... he was scouted by Charley Patton no less. Primitive? Primal more like and a force of nature. There’s more power in his right hand and vocal than Led Zeppelin in full flight......if he conveyed this much power in his older years imagine the power he unleashed in his early years in a Juke Joint! As far as questioning his guitar ability? His playing was imperfectly perfect!!!
In the blues style you have the off beat style where you don’t go by the music you make the music catch up with you the singers telling his story they music is at a slow pace we call this style the off beat or the rare style a classic of it own lane they do it in today’s music the sing off beat and the people love it the people don’t want the same everyday 1980s style on the beat songs anymore 👍💵🤷♀️🤷🏽👨🏽💻👩🏼💻🤔😎
Yea, this is British guy sounds like an ass
Imperfectly perfect I like that
I am fortunate to have his autograph, he seemed to be amused by his new found fame after his "rediscovery." After all these years the Blues still touch my soul.
Lucky you are, indeed!
I met Son house in Rochester, NY in 1972. It was not until years later that I fully appreciated the fact I shook hands with a man who shook hands with Robert Johnson!! He is the real deal!!
Seriously? I'm from the ghettos of the RoC. Would LOVE TO KNOW were he lived. Point it out to my kids.
Thats what you took away from the interaction???... oof...
@@YeeThirty agreed, major cringe
hes an incredible guitar player. no one can play with feeling like that.
Son House- A Force of Nature-He is the BLUES-Technique has it's place & you might be able to play a million notes a minute but Damn if you ain't got SOUL it don't mean shit.He was 4Real & yes thank you for this-Peace
I don’t get this guy’s repeated emphasis on how Son House wasn’t a technically good guitar player. He is right that the “soul” of the singing and performance is what really matters, but in my view, House’s guitar playing is perfect. I mean what really is “good” guitar playing, ultimately? With House, there’s a singular genius of musicality in the entire package of his playing and singing and energy. It all goes together and it is brilliant and absolutely unduplicatable.
And those eyebrows 😊
I feel the same-
My favorite guy. I love blues. Everything about them. The more soul and feeling the better.
Hope you come back this type of story telling is great!
Let me tell you something about Son House... he's my favourite, a total legend. His voice IS the Blues. Thanks for bringing attention to him.
Thanks for this doco mate.
The reason why Son House holds his slide here, in the way that he does, and at that angle, is because he had suffered severe frost bite to his hand a short time before that recording!
He could only use some of his fingers on that hand and was very restricted.
It's also the reason why he could only play in open tunings around this time.
Eddie "Son" House is 69 years old here,
Playing with a severely frost bitten hand and a 40 year hiatus from the instrument..
I would say his playing is absolutely phenomenal!
"Rough round the edges" gtf lol
Great video, Son House was also a witness of Robert Johnson's crossroads, when Robert used to go his shows and ask to borrow his guitar and Son said no because he has no idea of play it then he disappear like for 10 months and when he came back he ask to borrow the guitar again and rest is history
L P I thought it was an utterly unfair and ill educated hatchet job on house.
thank you for this vid and ur views on son house,,,,i dont care what people say, he is my favorite delta blues player of all time---like u said, not really a great musician, or a person for that matter, but he had the blues, he felt the blues, he was the blues
not really a great musician WTF you are a fool.
Such a great docu. Thank you, man 🍻🍻🍻 Son House is the Man!
I’m in , been playin blues, harp an guitar,,51 yrs.. stop by please..Tony 🎼😎👍
Fantastic to see howling wolf ragging son house .. priceless stuff !
Love this
House was a force of nature. Patton WAS Nature.
Nicely put sir!
Great call!
13:34 Allan Wilson aka "Blind Owl" was the co-founder, lead guitar and co-singer w/ the original Canned Heat. He died in 1970 just 2 weeks before Jimi Hendrix, 4 weeks before Janis Joplin and 10 months before Jim Morrison. All were 27 years old.
Fantastic. Thank you. I think your closing comments were perfect.
listen to his early sides, he was an incredible technichian, the second photo is Ishmon Bracey not willie Brown
Thank you!
Respect R.I.P.
Love that type of sarcasm and guidance
'perfect the technique , but make sure the technique is in the service of the soul" ... Like that ,Sound advice
I wholeheartedly disagree with your statements that Stone House was not a good technical guitar player. Is early recordings were phenomenal. Don't compare them with his we discovered recordings after all those years of not playing and being an alcoholic.
I have to agree, in his later years Son House was a 'primitive' guitar player, but that doesn't diminish his uniquely powerful style, nor his genius. The only thing 'wrong' with his playing is when he was sometimes painfully out of tune. I wish somebody had found a way to gently tune his guitar up for him!
in Walking Blues (1942) recordings, Fiddlin' Joe Martin plays mandolin instead of fiddle.
Btw great Son House summary, A+ :D
My grandfather Joe Cooper taught him how to play the guitar ❤️
So cool. Your Grandfather was awesome .thank you ...
@@allguitar887 ❤️🙏🏽 thank u for your kind words 🙂
Excellent.. do you have any recordings of your grandfather's playing?
@@frankmirra8243 I wish I did 😞
Great intro to an early architect of the blues.
I cry when I hear “Death Letter”
I feel you 100% never lost a wife or Gf either lol.
EVERYONE does, brother. All the best and keep listening to the great Son.
Me too!
I feel that one my soul was fell to the floor 🧐🤔👍he did that song letter of death is the one
Then check out Fixin' to die blues by Bukka White.😉
Son House, Fred McDowell, RL Burnside, Rosa Lee Hill. I can live off of these alone.
Love is guitar playing. I bought a resonator on strength of it. Think minimalist would be best way to describe it.
I cry when I hear Son house. I have a Sun House record. Not from the 30's
Patton was part Native American indian
Most all blacks have a degree of native american.😉
make one of these about Tampa Red
Third view, first like and now first comment! Thanks for the video. Your know your stuff, sir! I took a look at your guitar site. Might I suggest you do a copy of the Gretsch 5810 Bo Diddly guitar now no longer in production, but make it 80 cm long so it can go in hold luggage. I think it would sell as an interesting travel guitar! (er, if you do this you gotta give me one free, right?!) Best wishes Andy
Thanks for that! Cool idea for an 80cm guitar - only trouble is I have a dozen or so Les Paul scale necks, and a guitar made with one of those will be at least 100-120cm long.
16:00 i never saw someone clapping like that
At 7:30 the fella on the right is Ishmon Bracey
Son House first recorded "Ain't gonna trim deez brows!"
LOOKS LIKE THOSE EYEBROWS HAVEN'T SEEN A BARBER IN DECADES ! 😂 🤣 😂
Thank you so much for this and other amazing video essays - you deserve more subscribers!
Guitar playing texture; mmmm for me just fine...
Wolf owned him bad. God damn.
I hate to say it as a fan of Son, but Wolf was totally in the right, too.
Son was known to take to drink way too much too often.
Wolf was not known for that at all.
He was a serious musician who believed in giving the best performances he could, and he expected a lot from his band.
He also loved his family, and he took great care to show it everyday, a genuine family man.
On top of that, he rewarded his band with great pay and even (almost unheard of at the time) benefits.
I love Son House's music, but Wolf was a true professional, an awesome musician, and a great man, period.
@@westsidesmitty1 Damn straight!
Before he had his auto accident, he would have been a very serious force to reckon with.
Haha funny conclusion 👕 Good talk thanks
nice!
it sounds as if he's on trial here? for being a blues man
Perhaps closer to any other, during our boomer lifetimes, to the seminal Charlie Patton among the Dockery farm lineage. Son House somewhat overlooked I’d suggest due to the folklore built around Robert Johnson. Whom although rightfully worthy of his adulation, i think it might be underestimated how much Johnson’s iconic status is due to a recording quality more acceptable to modern ears than the likes of Son House, Charlie Patton or Skip James?
Heard tell once his left hand was badly injured.
When I met him about 15 years ago they said he was shot in the south and that's why he had a horrible limp. Really short guy too. But a good sense of humor.
@@theresewalters1696 15 years ago ? He died in 1988
I want to Thank You for mentioning at the end of your Video that you have to have soul, you have to have it running and coursing thru your veins. I'm a White Boy and have had many Black People look and say in shock when I played and sang "The White Boy's Got Soul". I just laughed because you gotta have been to hell and back. You got the blues, Charley Patton was doing things with the Guitar that people only seen Jimi Hendrix do
👍
Strangely enough I was having a discussion with someone, re: Willie Brown pictures. Can you expand at all as to why these are 'possible' Willie Brown pictures? You know anything else about them? A great tribute to one of the greats. Really enjoyed!!
Can't add anything much more - they could be photos of the somewhat famous blues player, or photos of other people named William Brown, they could be photos of random guitar players that someone has decided to palm off as Willie Brown photos. It's pretty much impossible to tell - there's a lot less scholarship on Willie Brown than there is on, for example, Robert Johnson.
Phil Davison Yes. I was aware that there is less scholarship, and the area is a grey one, ie: the Willie Brown who played with House and Patton may not have been the same one who recorded with Alan Lomax. Chances are it's not Willie Brown then... Thanks for your help.
Is that Son House talking to Howling Wolf ...both back in forth. Scolding Son for drinking to much. Not making something of himself 🙏🏿🙏
Just what the world needs! yet another white "blues expert" talking about someone he has never met! Oh dear
This dudes chapped lips and eyebrows are a distraction 😬😬
Son House was the greatest and the most powerful. If he had published his music as much Robert Johnson, he would be more well-known. And no white person taught Son House how to play the guitar.
I'm a huge fan of Son, but it's more complicated than that.
As it turns out, when Dick Waterman and his friends finally located Son in the 1960s living in Rochester, NY, Son cheerfully explained that he hadn't played guitar since the 1940s, and he had essentially forgotten how to play.
Enter Alan Wilson of the band Canned Heat, who spent quite a bit of time, who was brought in to "show Son House how to play like Son House," as it was put at the time.
"Blind Owl" Wilson didn't exactly teach Son how to play, but his help was essential in getting Son to remember all that he had forgotten in those lost decades.
Even then, Son didn't play with nearly the speed that he had back in those old recordings of him, especially with the likes of "Preachin' the Blues."
@@Gunners_Mate_Guns I'm amazed there are people here who don't know that story, or they misunderstand, or resent it. Alan Wilson idolised these old blues musicians, he knew their work intimately.
@@KayEl58 100% correct
Alan considered it an honor to help one of his main influences, and he fully realized just what a legend Son was.
We owe Alan a huge debt of gratitude for what he did giving Son a second act, thereby making it possible for a whole new generation to attend his performances and appreciate the man's contribution to 20th century American music.
@@Gunners_Mate_GunsAlan 'Blind Owl' Wilson and those who inspired him to reach the heights he reached - may they never be forotten. Nice talking to you @PinkOld 😊
@@KayEl58 Right back atcha.
Now you're gonna comment on how he holds his slide?! This man had more soul in his pinky tip than your British ass has ever had. Who cares if the slide rattles a bit? Between his playing and singing he is more than you'll ever be.
Not a good guitarist? I've heard some idiotic quotes online but that might take the biscuit
You are saying an awful lot as fact. No one knows how Robert johnson died. He was nobody when he died.
You're full of it.
He's an awful guitar player. Never would have made it in Nashville.
That's what makes a good authentic bluesman!🙈🙉🙊
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