The lonesome howl of Son House strikes one of the defining notes in the history
of the blues and echoes the earthy soul of the Mississippi Delta. Born near
Clarksdale in 1902, Eddie House became a preacher at 15 before being jailed for
two years when he killed a man who had shot him in the leg during a juke joint
brawl. On his release he performed with legendary bluesmen Charlie Patton,
Robert Johnson and Willie Brown, where he was spotted and recorded by archivist
Alan Lomax for the Library of Congress in 1941. He drifted out of public view,
working as a railroad porter and chef...