Blind Lemon Jefferson – See That My Grave Is Kept Clean

Blind Lemon Jefferson is pretty much the first black dude to get paid for making awesome music in the 20’s. He was indeed blind and belted out the blues like nothing anybody had heard at the time. Blind Lemon did pretty good for himself, surely not as good as his record label but somethings never change. Another famous Blind Lemon tune is Black Snake Moan but I chose this song because I would like my loved ones to see that my grave is kept clean. Don’t forget about me when I die dammit! And please don’t let the weeds grow all crazy around it.

I love the way he just has a string holding his guitar up rather than an actual strap. The music is raw, the sounds of bad lighting and thin coats of dirt and grime on a chair in a dingy barn with the door slightly ajar. I can see myself walking up to it and seeing a little bit of the bad lighting escaping the door and with it the sound of the Blind Lemon blues and as I start to take it all in some grown person says “bow you’s butta git beck inside nah!”

Dock Boggs – Sugar Baby

This is the sound I’ve been craving lately. It is of course mountain banjo but there is something to it that is kind of creepy sounding (make the sheep scared). It has a repetition to it that I enjoy a bit more than regular bluegrass style pickin’. Plus Dock Boggs is just a G look at this guy…

and I guess if you want to see what his music has inspired in others

Blues Run the Game

Another favorite tune of mine, I think this guy ran with Paul Simon and such. Jackson C. Frank – Blues Run the Game is a good album. None of the songs on there top the album title track though. Makes me want to wear a cardigan.