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Preachin' the Blues: The Life & Times of Son House
In June of 1964, three young, white blues fans set out from New York City in a Volkswagen, heading for the Mississippi Delta in search of a musical legend. So begins Preachin' the Blues, the biography of American blues signer and guitarist Eddie James "Son" House, Jr. (1902 - 1988). House pioneered an innovative style, incorporating strong repetitive rhythms with elements of southern gospel and spiritual vocals. A seminal figure in the history of the Delta blues, he was an important, direct influence on such figures as Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson.
The landscape of Son House's life and the vicissitudes he endured make for an absorbing narrative, threaded through with a tension between House's religious beliefs and his spells of commitment to a lifestyle that implicitly rejected it. Drinking, womanizing, and singing the blues caused this tension that is palpable in his music, and becomes explicit in one of his finest performances, "Preachin' the Blues." Large parts of House's life are obscure, not least because his own accounts of them were inconsistent. Author Daniel Beaumont offers a chronology/topography of House's youth, taking into account evidence that conflicts sharply with the well-worn fable, and he illuminates the obscurity of House's two decades in Rochester, NY between his departure from Mississippi in the 1940s and his "rediscovery" by members of the Folk Revival Movement in 1964. Beaumont gives a detailed and perceptive account of House's primary musical legacy: his recordings for Paramount in 1930 and for the Library of Congress in 1941-42. In the course of his research Beaumont has unearthed not only connections among the many scattered facts and fictions but new information about a rumoured murder in Mississippi, and a charge of manslaughter on Long Island - incidents which bring tragic light upon House's lifelong struggles and self-imposed disappearance, and give trenchant meaning to the moving music of this early blues legend.
The landscape of Son House's life and the vicissitudes he endured make for an absorbing narrative, threaded through with a tension between House's religious beliefs and his spells of commitment to a lifestyle that implicitly rejected it. Drinking, womanizing, and singing the blues caused this tension that is palpable in his music, and becomes explicit in one of his finest performances, "Preachin' the Blues." Large parts of House's life are obscure, not least because his own accounts of them were inconsistent. Author Daniel Beaumont offers a chronology/topography of House's youth, taking into account evidence that conflicts sharply with the well-worn fable, and he illuminates the obscurity of House's two decades in Rochester, NY between his departure from Mississippi in the 1940s and his "rediscovery" by members of the Folk Revival Movement in 1964. Beaumont gives a detailed and perceptive account of House's primary musical legacy: his recordings for Paramount in 1930 and for the Library of Congress in 1941-42. In the course of his research Beaumont has unearthed not only connections among the many scattered facts and fictions but new information about a rumoured murder in Mississippi, and a charge of manslaughter on Long Island - incidents which bring tragic light upon House's lifelong struggles and self-imposed disappearance, and give trenchant meaning to the moving music of this early blues legend.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
August 24, 2011
Beaumont's biography of the great blues musician Son House is a remarkable achievement, considering what he had to work with. House was born in 1902 (probably) in Mississippi, and an African-American born in Mississippi at that time wasn't considered worthy of much in the way of official record-keeping. There is no birth certificate for House, and no records of his two arrests and prison terms (in Coahama County Prison Farm and the notorious Mississippi State Prison Farm at Parchman) have survived. Everything we know about House's life up until his famous 1930 recording session for Paramount is derived from interviews House gave after his rediscovery in 1964. And other large chunks of House's life, such as the 1943-64 period, when he moved from Mississippi to Rochester, New York, are almost as "off the radar."
But Beaumont has done a great job of sifting through the interviews House gave, and coming up with something that is as close to the truth as we are likely to get. He also searched what records there are, and conducted interviews with those who knew House at various times in his life. He doesn't shy away from the negative (House was an alcoholic for much of his life and killed two men, probably at least partially in self-defense), but manages to avoid the unpleasant tone of Stephen Calt's biography of Skip James, to invoke a book most readers interested in House will know.
Most importantly, Beaumont does a good job of invoking the power of House's music in words. I can't imagine anyone reading his four-page description of House's very first recording, the masterpiece "My Black Mama," without wanting to immediately hear the music. Here's part of it; after describing House's guitar playing, Beaumont says:
House's vocals are even more impressive. Under the pressure of the moment, it seems as if all the bitter disappointments of his twenty-eight years, all the painful failures, frustrations and resentments of his life up to that point gather into a powerful storm that bursts forth in the first words he sings, the angry question, "Black mama, what's the matter with you?" His voice is immediately gripping, fierce, and full of rage.... House's bitterness and anger speak most clearly in his enunciation of the word "satisfaction." The stress on the third syllable is so strong it seems as though he means to snap the word in two.
House was a somewhat tortured man, driven by his conflict between the God that he believed in (he was a preacher at several points in his life) and his uncontrollable drives for alcohol, sex, and most of all, the blues. He is "important" as a mentor of Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters, but more important is the high quality of his driven, haunted music itself. Thank you for this book, Mr. Beaumont.
But Beaumont has done a great job of sifting through the interviews House gave, and coming up with something that is as close to the truth as we are likely to get. He also searched what records there are, and conducted interviews with those who knew House at various times in his life. He doesn't shy away from the negative (House was an alcoholic for much of his life and killed two men, probably at least partially in self-defense), but manages to avoid the unpleasant tone of Stephen Calt's biography of Skip James, to invoke a book most readers interested in House will know.
Most importantly, Beaumont does a good job of invoking the power of House's music in words. I can't imagine anyone reading his four-page description of House's very first recording, the masterpiece "My Black Mama," without wanting to immediately hear the music. Here's part of it; after describing House's guitar playing, Beaumont says:
House's vocals are even more impressive. Under the pressure of the moment, it seems as if all the bitter disappointments of his twenty-eight years, all the painful failures, frustrations and resentments of his life up to that point gather into a powerful storm that bursts forth in the first words he sings, the angry question, "Black mama, what's the matter with you?" His voice is immediately gripping, fierce, and full of rage.... House's bitterness and anger speak most clearly in his enunciation of the word "satisfaction." The stress on the third syllable is so strong it seems as though he means to snap the word in two.
House was a somewhat tortured man, driven by his conflict between the God that he believed in (he was a preacher at several points in his life) and his uncontrollable drives for alcohol, sex, and most of all, the blues. He is "important" as a mentor of Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters, but more important is the high quality of his driven, haunted music itself. Thank you for this book, Mr. Beaumont.
April 8, 2022
Son House was a ground breaking blues guitarist/singer/songwriter who, taking his own cue from Charlie Patton, influenced other artists like Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf. From his origins as a lay preacher when he "got religion" he had an equally powerful conversion to the Blues when, after losing his position in a church because of women and alcohol, he heard a man playing bottleneck guitar, whose sound captivated him. Torn between these two conflicting poles in his psyche, House had an itinerant life playing for crowds on the street and in various gatherings, nightspots, juke joints and so on, making recordings for Paramount Records in the 1930's. As musical styles and tastes changed he gave up music, returned to the work force in various jobs until he was rediscovered by a trio of blues enthusiasts in 1964, who relaunched his career as part of the Folk Revival and he returned to a performing and recording career. Beaumont's book brings to light many never-before-revealed facts of his career and life in a vivid manner. - BH.
April 3, 2013
This book is a well-researched biography of Son House. The book is impressive in that the author works a hoard of information into a coherent narrative. At the forefront is the man, Son House, who lived a difficult rambling life. At the periphery, the author goes on to discuss House's relationship with his friends, and colleagues, the recording labels and their producers, Alan Lomax, and the young Hippies who found him out and reestablished his career.
This book is invaluable in that it gives a clear and personal glimpse of what a bluesman's life and career looked like. The reader can really sympathize with Son House and understand his difficulties and shortcomings.
There are also very illuminating things the author described such recording industry issues. The author explains the recording process and technicalities from the thirties when Son House recorded his first songs. The reason why most of those early songs were less than three minutes long is that those early cylinders the recording industry used could only record less than three minutes of music. Even more surprising is that the method the recording industry used to start and stop was extremely abrupt so it's a wonder how well the songs came out since the recording process was literally, green-light go, red-light stop. The author also goes on to explain the strange patchwork of artists in early race records. "Hits were rare and unpredictable accidents" which is why there was always a search for new talent. "The mass of recordings were flops. This was the fundamental reality of the music business."
I was also alarmed to find out that Alan Lomax did some very unethical things and he probably lied in his text "The Land Where Blues Began," creating false conversations between him and Son House and completely fabricated comments Son House made regarding Robert Johnson. This book has made me extremely suspicious of Alan Lomax and I would like to read further research into what Lomax might have invented or done unethically.
Another aspect that was revealing was the attitude of the young people who found Son House and his colleagues and promoted them. The author states, "And for the producers and managers involved in the folk scene, this often involved instructing the performers on how to sound 'spontaneous' and 'noncommercial' so as to meet the expectations of the folk music audience... Put simply, the attitude of those in the folk revival was all to often to regard the musicians as relics." This leads a reader to question how their attitudes shaped the musicians' recordings. The author only explains that while previously Son House had worked often in ensemble, he was then mostly marketed as a solo act.
Maybe it goes without saying, but it is also good to hear in House's own words what music means to him. The author includes many quotes from the musician and from his friends, colleagues, and relatives. "For House, the blues was not 'foolishness and a lot of junk to it.' His blues drew upon and gave expression to certain profound conflicts that simmered in the darker recesses of his mind... House thought that, just as a good sermon ought to have a central theme, a blues son should have a thematic coherence."
The author explains the appeal of Son House over other blues artists of his generation: in his words, he expressed "an entire vision of life... an agonized vision -- a struggle between the desire of the all too human son and the implacable law of the father, religion... his audience sensed someone -- and not without reason -- who had seen hell and lived to tell about it."
This book is invaluable in that it gives a clear and personal glimpse of what a bluesman's life and career looked like. The reader can really sympathize with Son House and understand his difficulties and shortcomings.
There are also very illuminating things the author described such recording industry issues. The author explains the recording process and technicalities from the thirties when Son House recorded his first songs. The reason why most of those early songs were less than three minutes long is that those early cylinders the recording industry used could only record less than three minutes of music. Even more surprising is that the method the recording industry used to start and stop was extremely abrupt so it's a wonder how well the songs came out since the recording process was literally, green-light go, red-light stop. The author also goes on to explain the strange patchwork of artists in early race records. "Hits were rare and unpredictable accidents" which is why there was always a search for new talent. "The mass of recordings were flops. This was the fundamental reality of the music business."
I was also alarmed to find out that Alan Lomax did some very unethical things and he probably lied in his text "The Land Where Blues Began," creating false conversations between him and Son House and completely fabricated comments Son House made regarding Robert Johnson. This book has made me extremely suspicious of Alan Lomax and I would like to read further research into what Lomax might have invented or done unethically.
Another aspect that was revealing was the attitude of the young people who found Son House and his colleagues and promoted them. The author states, "And for the producers and managers involved in the folk scene, this often involved instructing the performers on how to sound 'spontaneous' and 'noncommercial' so as to meet the expectations of the folk music audience... Put simply, the attitude of those in the folk revival was all to often to regard the musicians as relics." This leads a reader to question how their attitudes shaped the musicians' recordings. The author only explains that while previously Son House had worked often in ensemble, he was then mostly marketed as a solo act.
Maybe it goes without saying, but it is also good to hear in House's own words what music means to him. The author includes many quotes from the musician and from his friends, colleagues, and relatives. "For House, the blues was not 'foolishness and a lot of junk to it.' His blues drew upon and gave expression to certain profound conflicts that simmered in the darker recesses of his mind... House thought that, just as a good sermon ought to have a central theme, a blues son should have a thematic coherence."
The author explains the appeal of Son House over other blues artists of his generation: in his words, he expressed "an entire vision of life... an agonized vision -- a struggle between the desire of the all too human son and the implacable law of the father, religion... his audience sensed someone -- and not without reason -- who had seen hell and lived to tell about it."
November 25, 2011
There's an awful lot of nonsense talked about blues music, and something totally incongruous about academic discussions of blues lyrics, but as biographies goes this one is good and avoids the silliness. Beaumont does what he can with a very small amount of information. The fact that long stretches of House's life are unknown and unknowable doesn't detract from the book. Beaumont gives what he has, assesses the value of conflicting reports and doesn't try and pad out his material. Nor does he have a lot of time for the legendary side of his subject: he's good at knocking the "he sold his soul to the devil at the cross roads at midnight" type story on the head.
According to the dust jacket, Beaumont is also the author of "Slave of Desire: sex love and death in the 1001 Nights." which sounds like a book worth reading, preferably while listening to Son House, Willie Brown, Joe Martin and Leroy WIlliams cranking their way through "Walking Blues".
According to the dust jacket, Beaumont is also the author of "Slave of Desire: sex love and death in the 1001 Nights." which sounds like a book worth reading, preferably while listening to Son House, Willie Brown, Joe Martin and Leroy WIlliams cranking their way through "Walking Blues".
September 16, 2012
This brief but enjoyable biography of the bluesman Son House gives readers a sense of the long difficult life behind the sometimes haunting songs he recorded in his few sessions that stretched over more than three decades, and offers insight into the powerful 1960s performances that can be viewed today thanks to YouTube.
Details about much of the man's life are sketchy at best and often simply nonexistent, but Beaumont does what he can with what is known. When reports differ he offers his belief about how things transpired. He balances sympathy for House with a critical eye. The picture we get is of a complex man, deeply conflicted and deeply guarded, who stepped into a recording studio in 1930 looking to make a quick paycheck, and unknowingly played a pivotal role in creating what we know today as American music. That he would be able to enjoy the fruits of that contribution decades later was beyond his wildest imaginings.
Highly recommended to any fans of older blues.
Details about much of the man's life are sketchy at best and often simply nonexistent, but Beaumont does what he can with what is known. When reports differ he offers his belief about how things transpired. He balances sympathy for House with a critical eye. The picture we get is of a complex man, deeply conflicted and deeply guarded, who stepped into a recording studio in 1930 looking to make a quick paycheck, and unknowingly played a pivotal role in creating what we know today as American music. That he would be able to enjoy the fruits of that contribution decades later was beyond his wildest imaginings.
Highly recommended to any fans of older blues.
May 26, 2015
Cool historical perspective on one of Rochesters most famous residents. Offers a sound tutorial on Delta blues from Robert Johnson to BB King.
May 10, 2017
This is a difficult book to do a fair review on. On the one hand I love Son House's music and wanted to know more about his life, and this book is filled with material that helps to explain the intensity of Son House's style.
Unfortunately--and this is not as far as I can tell completely the fault of the authors--Son House remains somewhat a cypher, even after the research and hard work that Beaumont has done, because so much of his life was lived in the shadows. Dramatic incidents, such as when he killed the man, can be found. What I would have liked more of is something more subtle that would fill out the man.
I know that, with the exception of the stories of his friends, the material isn't there. But what I miss is a great sense of the environment he grew up in. The wonderful book on the great migration, The Warmth of Other Suns, does an admirable job of filling out the picture of the lives of the African-Americans who took part in this great movement of human being.
I'm left unsatisfied, though as I said before I am grateful for Beaumont putting this material into readable form. If you love the blues, you will read this book because it seems there's nothing else that's been written on Son House. Preachin' the Blues is a good start. Hopefully someone will be able to drill deeper into the subject matter at some point in the future.
Unfortunately--and this is not as far as I can tell completely the fault of the authors--Son House remains somewhat a cypher, even after the research and hard work that Beaumont has done, because so much of his life was lived in the shadows. Dramatic incidents, such as when he killed the man, can be found. What I would have liked more of is something more subtle that would fill out the man.
I know that, with the exception of the stories of his friends, the material isn't there. But what I miss is a great sense of the environment he grew up in. The wonderful book on the great migration, The Warmth of Other Suns, does an admirable job of filling out the picture of the lives of the African-Americans who took part in this great movement of human being.
I'm left unsatisfied, though as I said before I am grateful for Beaumont putting this material into readable form. If you love the blues, you will read this book because it seems there's nothing else that's been written on Son House. Preachin' the Blues is a good start. Hopefully someone will be able to drill deeper into the subject matter at some point in the future.
December 9, 2022
This earns my four stars due to my keen interest in the early blues. Since the 70's I have sought out and listened to blues practitioners from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Although I heard and loved the singing and playing of Son House, and gleaned some tidbits of his history (I knew Alan Wilson, "Blind Owl" of the 60's blues band Canned Heat, had spent time bringing Son House back up to performance level after a long hiatus from music), I had no idea of his influence on Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters, nor of his close association with Charley Patton. Son House's story includes a peculiar social shift these blues men faced when their "race records" music became of keen interest to thousands of young white audiences. Like other "rediscovered" blues artists, Son House went about his new found fame in his idiosyncratic way. Any fan of the blues should check out these early artists, and this book is a great way to familiarize yourself with the Delta blues founders.
January 15, 2018
I hardly ever give five stars.
One of the best bits of music history I've read. This was an honest look at a man that could be considered a musical genius. It's not just "What a genius!", but shows a lot of the trouble that fills up the back pocket of "genius" in any given field.
One of the things I like about this book was the history in the area of Rochester, NY. I grew up in that area, so could picture some of the things Beaumont was writing about.
Music has been an important part of my life and Son House was a big part of it.
One of the best bits of music history I've read. This was an honest look at a man that could be considered a musical genius. It's not just "What a genius!", but shows a lot of the trouble that fills up the back pocket of "genius" in any given field.
One of the things I like about this book was the history in the area of Rochester, NY. I grew up in that area, so could picture some of the things Beaumont was writing about.
Music has been an important part of my life and Son House was a big part of it.
August 2, 2020
A great biography of the often overlooked iconic Blues legend, the hard, tragic life he lived and the music it inspired. Beaumont's accomplishment is especially notable given how little he had to work with in the way of primary source materials.
September 30, 2017
A fascinating insight into the life of a man I had never heard of previously but whom many call “the father of the blues”.
February 20, 2025
This was a good read, really enjoyed it. I got the feeling Son House didnt realise how good he was.
October 14, 2016
Daniel Beaumont's 2011 book is an important and valuable biography of blues legend Son House. It's also thin at 180 pages of main text, and though in some ways it's understandable why this is so, one is left wanting more.
Beaumont shines a light on many aspects of House's life, but some things are too dark to ever see clearly. There isn't much documentation of House's pre-rediscovery (1964) life, and House himself revealed sometimes contradictory and confusing details when interviewed in the '60s and '70s — which wasn't often. That made Beaumont's task a difficult one.
House recorded nine seminal solo blues sides in 1930 for Paramount Records in Grafton, Wisconsin, that sold miserably (no copy of the "Clarksdale Moan"/"Mississippi County Farm Blues" was known to exist until one was found in 2005), and another 15 songs (depending on how you're counting the tracks) for the Library of Congress in 1941 and 1942 that sat in the can for 20 or so years. But the brilliance and power of those songs was enough to set twentysomethings Nick Perls, Dick Waterman and Phil Spiro to searching for House in 1964. They found him far from his home state of Mississippi, in Rochester, N.Y.
"Preachin' the Blues" appropriately opens with the rediscovery, then restarts from House's birth in 1902 (probably) and covers sketchily his early life, his picking up the guitar, becoming a preacher and being sent to prison, briefly, for killing a man. Beaumont's treatment of House's lifelong tug-of-war between the blues and the church is one of the book's highlights. As House sings in 1930's "Preachin' the Blues":
"... Then the blues come along and they blowed my spirit away.
Oh, I'd'a had religion, Lord, this very day (2x)
But the womens and whiskey, well, they would not let me pray."
House played with/learned from/influenced some of the great bluesmen of all time: Charley Patton, Robert Johnson (a House protege who based "Up Jumped the Devil" and "Walkin' Blues" heavily on House songs) Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters. Beaumont recounts House's first recording session, with Patton, Willie Brown and Louise Johnson making an alcohol-fueled automobile trip from Mississippi to Wisconsin to record for Paramount. Curiously, Beaumont never specifically states that Grafton is in Wisconsin, though it can be inferred. Yes, the book occasionally is on the sloppy side; Beaumont once repeats information in two consecutive sentences, and there are a number of typographical errors. There are a few rediscovery-era photos; none of House from earlier in his life. I'm not sure any exist, but in any event, Beaumont never mentions this fact.
House's 1941-42 recordings outside a country store near Lake Cormorant, Miss., likewise are well-covered. After that, House virtually disappeared until his rediscovery.
Beaumont writes pretty well and does his digging, but this is not an exhaustive biography and wasn't written for a big publisher. One can't help but feel it should have been more, though. Where firm details weren't available, surely Beaumont could have lightened some shadows by giving us perspective on House's music from blues experts, illuminated better the day-to-day existence of Mississippi blacks or simply provided deeper details from those he was able to talk to about House from 1965 on, such as his manager Waterman. Where little is known, there are ways to try to fill in the blanks.
House recorded one official studio album in 1965 (the lead track from it, "Death Letter," is incredible), after which he hit the folk blues concert trail, and a number of live recordings and informal sessions would surface. He was a bit fumble-fingered on the National steel guitar in his 60s, but his voice was powerful to the end. Beaumont notes how his handlers provided House, an alcoholic, with drinks, trying to give him enough to play but not too much to incapacitate him.
It's an interesting tale, if too short as told by Beaumont. After the text, lyrics are provided for a few key songs, but there's no discography, which really is an unforgiveable oversight. Why in the world isn't there one?
"Preachin' the Blues" is a solid, valuable biography of a blues great with a soul pulled through all his days by both the Devil and God. It's also a flawed work, and feels like a bit of a missed opportunity even as it's generally satisfying.
Beaumont shines a light on many aspects of House's life, but some things are too dark to ever see clearly. There isn't much documentation of House's pre-rediscovery (1964) life, and House himself revealed sometimes contradictory and confusing details when interviewed in the '60s and '70s — which wasn't often. That made Beaumont's task a difficult one.
House recorded nine seminal solo blues sides in 1930 for Paramount Records in Grafton, Wisconsin, that sold miserably (no copy of the "Clarksdale Moan"/"Mississippi County Farm Blues" was known to exist until one was found in 2005), and another 15 songs (depending on how you're counting the tracks) for the Library of Congress in 1941 and 1942 that sat in the can for 20 or so years. But the brilliance and power of those songs was enough to set twentysomethings Nick Perls, Dick Waterman and Phil Spiro to searching for House in 1964. They found him far from his home state of Mississippi, in Rochester, N.Y.
"Preachin' the Blues" appropriately opens with the rediscovery, then restarts from House's birth in 1902 (probably) and covers sketchily his early life, his picking up the guitar, becoming a preacher and being sent to prison, briefly, for killing a man. Beaumont's treatment of House's lifelong tug-of-war between the blues and the church is one of the book's highlights. As House sings in 1930's "Preachin' the Blues":
"... Then the blues come along and they blowed my spirit away.
Oh, I'd'a had religion, Lord, this very day (2x)
But the womens and whiskey, well, they would not let me pray."
House played with/learned from/influenced some of the great bluesmen of all time: Charley Patton, Robert Johnson (a House protege who based "Up Jumped the Devil" and "Walkin' Blues" heavily on House songs) Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters. Beaumont recounts House's first recording session, with Patton, Willie Brown and Louise Johnson making an alcohol-fueled automobile trip from Mississippi to Wisconsin to record for Paramount. Curiously, Beaumont never specifically states that Grafton is in Wisconsin, though it can be inferred. Yes, the book occasionally is on the sloppy side; Beaumont once repeats information in two consecutive sentences, and there are a number of typographical errors. There are a few rediscovery-era photos; none of House from earlier in his life. I'm not sure any exist, but in any event, Beaumont never mentions this fact.
House's 1941-42 recordings outside a country store near Lake Cormorant, Miss., likewise are well-covered. After that, House virtually disappeared until his rediscovery.
Beaumont writes pretty well and does his digging, but this is not an exhaustive biography and wasn't written for a big publisher. One can't help but feel it should have been more, though. Where firm details weren't available, surely Beaumont could have lightened some shadows by giving us perspective on House's music from blues experts, illuminated better the day-to-day existence of Mississippi blacks or simply provided deeper details from those he was able to talk to about House from 1965 on, such as his manager Waterman. Where little is known, there are ways to try to fill in the blanks.
House recorded one official studio album in 1965 (the lead track from it, "Death Letter," is incredible), after which he hit the folk blues concert trail, and a number of live recordings and informal sessions would surface. He was a bit fumble-fingered on the National steel guitar in his 60s, but his voice was powerful to the end. Beaumont notes how his handlers provided House, an alcoholic, with drinks, trying to give him enough to play but not too much to incapacitate him.
It's an interesting tale, if too short as told by Beaumont. After the text, lyrics are provided for a few key songs, but there's no discography, which really is an unforgiveable oversight. Why in the world isn't there one?
"Preachin' the Blues" is a solid, valuable biography of a blues great with a soul pulled through all his days by both the Devil and God. It's also a flawed work, and feels like a bit of a missed opportunity even as it's generally satisfying.
March 5, 2017
I have to admit, I'm biased. It won't take much for me to rate a book like this 5 stars. Son House is a fascinating character in the history of the Blues. All you need to know is that he taught Robert Johnson how to play.
This book has limitations, mainly due to the lack of research material about the man himself. We get plenty of stories about Charley Patton, the recording sessions in Grafton, the 'Blues Mafia' rediscovery, and the later years when Son House is catapulted into the spotlight as a living Blues legend.
Highly recommend for any fan of Country Blues.
This book has limitations, mainly due to the lack of research material about the man himself. We get plenty of stories about Charley Patton, the recording sessions in Grafton, the 'Blues Mafia' rediscovery, and the later years when Son House is catapulted into the spotlight as a living Blues legend.
Highly recommend for any fan of Country Blues.
September 25, 2012
Once again, I would like to read a biography or non-fiction anything that gives away little or no (is it possible?) opinionated commentary, asides, or bias. Having said that, Beaumont did a good job of framing Son House's life - apparently, no easy task. I knew about House's association with Charley Patton and Robert Johnson, in particular, but didn't know that he and Patton were good friends or that Johnson used to sit at his feet and watch him play. Also, how many people can say that they killed two men (self-defense each time) and served less than two years in prison - combined - for each incident. But, the music...
Beaumont did his homework and recreated numerous scenes, some over 80 years old, that illustrated the type of man and player Son House was. He liked to booze it up, he liked to have fun with the ladies, but most of all he like to play the blues just for the enjoyment of playing. The recurring theme throughout the biography was that Son House was happy just to be able to play and have an audience listen. He literally quit playing for twenty years (1943-1964) until he was 'rediscovered' by the white people. Simply playing and drinking got him up in the morning and goddamn could he play.
Beaumont did his homework and recreated numerous scenes, some over 80 years old, that illustrated the type of man and player Son House was. He liked to booze it up, he liked to have fun with the ladies, but most of all he like to play the blues just for the enjoyment of playing. The recurring theme throughout the biography was that Son House was happy just to be able to play and have an audience listen. He literally quit playing for twenty years (1943-1964) until he was 'rediscovered' by the white people. Simply playing and drinking got him up in the morning and goddamn could he play.
July 30, 2011
I read about half of this before I got bored and returned it to the library.
The challenge of writing a biography of Son House is that just about the only source of information for the first 50 or so years of his life is the interviews House gave after he was rediscovered in the 60s. Much of the first half of the book is devoted to evaluating the sometimes conflicting stories and making a best guess what most likely happened. And while I appreciate the work Beaumont has done, there just wasn't enough meat to the story to keep me interested.
The challenge of writing a biography of Son House is that just about the only source of information for the first 50 or so years of his life is the interviews House gave after he was rediscovered in the 60s. Much of the first half of the book is devoted to evaluating the sometimes conflicting stories and making a best guess what most likely happened. And while I appreciate the work Beaumont has done, there just wasn't enough meat to the story to keep me interested.
March 24, 2021
More than a stellar and obscure biography -- its the tale of a talent born in trying circumstances that coursed the century through the socioeconomic tides that shaped the black experience in the 20th century. Son House could have died and remained in obscurity were it not for his rare recordings in the 1930s finding a group of curious counter culture music lovers in the 1960s. A remarkable tale worth retelling and an important look at a forgotten America that shaped so much music we love and take for granted.
August 5, 2011
For awhile, it just seemed like a compendium of others' research, and it is, to an extent, but a) there's value in that if it's used carefully and interestingly (Beaumont does), and b) he has several of his own things to say, much of it about white blues enthusiasts' misconceptions about House. Glad I read it--ultimate compliment is it sent me right back to House's music.
February 1, 2016
3 stars for the book, 5 stars for the man.
"...the years seemed to roll away. He closed his eyes and the sweat broke out on his face. He started in a low voice which became louder and louder. It was as if he went into a trance and somehow willed himself to another time and another place."
I would have given anything to see this man perform live!
"...the years seemed to roll away. He closed his eyes and the sweat broke out on his face. He started in a low voice which became louder and louder. It was as if he went into a trance and somehow willed himself to another time and another place."
I would have given anything to see this man perform live!
November 8, 2011
Loved the book. It was well written and delved into the Delta blues scene from the 20s and 30s to the rebirth in the 60s. Son House was a real character and the typical free wheeling musician. A must read for blues fans.
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March 31, 2013Excellent read. Humanizes one of the giants of the Delta Blues. He outlived them all, passing away in Detroit in 1988. Active in the Delta from 1929 through to 1943 he had a second career from 1964 through to 1974 when he played his last concert on Toronto Islands.
April 6, 2013
son house has always been one of my favorite blues musicians of all time. the read was enjoyable and is highly recommend for anyone that's a fan of authentic blues.
May 26, 2013
A short book, but a really well-written biography of a master blues musician.
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