Skip James was one of the
most influential early Bluesmen, but his importance as a stylist
remained undiscovered until he was brought out of a long retirement by
the Folk/Blues revival of the early 1960’s. Born in 1902 and raised in
Bentonia, Nehemiah Curtis James was brought up in a religious family:
his father was a bootlegger who reformed and became a Baptist preacher.
Skip learned piano in school but picked up guitar from his friend Henry
Stuckey. In 1931 Skip was picked up by a scout for Paramount Records and
he cut 26 tracks, of which 18 were released, in a two day session at
their Grafton, Wisconsin studios. These recordings presented a unique
and haunting genius that influenced legendary bluesmen as Robert
Johnson, Kansas Joe McCoy and Johnny Temple. But the recordings sold
poorly, having been released during the Great Depression, and he drifted
into obscurity.
We have included as online downloads Skip’s 1931 recordings. The
crackling sound of these rare recordings cannot obscure the brilliance
of this seminal Blues master.
After over 30 year’s retirement from music, Skip was rediscovered by
Blues enthusiasts Bill Barth, John Fahey and Henry Vestine. They
persuaded Skip to appear at the Newport Folk Festival in 1964, where his
renditions of his old songs were still powerful and moving. His
performances as well as his old and new recordings influenced a
generation of new musicians: Eric Clapton, Alan Wilson of Canned Heat,
Cream, Deep Purple, Chris Thomas King, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Derek
Trucks, Beck, Big Sugar, John Martyn, Lucinda Williams and Rory Block to
name a few.
Books on legendary Blues musicians written by white musicologists tend
to offer a subjective perspective on how the artists felt, thought or
reacted. A tainted picture is captured that has more to do with the
writer’s social and musical experiences. This autobiography is
different. The words, thoughts and feelings come directly from the
artist’s lips. This is the story of Nehemiah “Skip” James told by
Nehemiah “Skip” James.