blind lemon

He had a high-pitched, piercing voice and a unique fingerpicking style very uncharacteristic of blues. Blind Lemon Jefferson's sometimes arhythmic delivery includes long, drawn-out notes that ratchet up the intensity.

He played with Leadbelly in Texas in the early days. He recorded for the low-rent label Paramount, whose inferior-quality products produce a scratchy, inferior sound. It takes effort to listen to Jefferson, but he repays it.

His most famous tune is "That Black Snake Moan;"

OOOOO-ooooooo, black snake crawlin in my room;
OOOOO-ooooooo, black snake crawlin in my room;
Some pretty mama better come here and get this black snake soon.

But my current Blind Lemon favorite is another moan which follows the same template as Black Snake:

Long distance, long distance, I can't help but moan;
Long distance, long distance, I can't help but moan;
My baby's voice is so sweet it just about breaks the telephone.

You don't know you love your rider till she's so far from you;
You don't know you love your rider till she's so far from you;
You get that long distance moan and you don't know what to do.

His biggest fear was that he would get lost in the snow and die. In 1929, in Chicago, returning home from work, he was caught in a blizzard, became disoriented and couldn't find help, and expired in the early morning hours.