Henry Thomas (blues musician)
Encyclopedia
Henry Thomas was an American
pre-World War II
country blues
singer, songster
and musician. He was often billed as "Ragtime Texas".
, United States
.
He began his musical career as an itinerant songster
and recorded twenty-three sides for Vocalion Records
between 1927 and 1929. Thomas accompanied himself on guitar and on quills, a folk instrument fabricated from cane
reeds, and would play both instruments and provide vocals for the same song. The instrument is similar in sound to the zampona, used by musicians in Peru and Bolivia.
His springy guitar-playing, probably inspired by banjo
-picking styles, implies that he was used to performing for dances.
His legacy has been sustained by his songs which were later covered by musicians after the folk music revival
. "Fishin' Blues" was covered by Taj Mahal
and The Lovin' Spoonful
. "Bull Doze Blues" was recorded by Canned Heat
, retitled "Goin' Up The Country". Here Thomas's melody on quills was reproduced note for note by flautist Jim Horn
. "Don't Ease Me In" was covered by the Grateful Dead
on their album Go to Heaven
; and "Honey Won't You Allow Me One More Chance" was re-interpreted by Bob Dylan
(as "Honey Just Allow Me One More Chance") on The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
The songs are different, and little remains of Thomas's song but the title line, but Dylan gives Thomas a co-writer credit, though he was long dead by then. Thomas's vintage recording of "Don't Ease Me In" is included on the compilation album The Music Never Stopped: Roots of the Grateful Dead
. The Lovin' Spoonful recorded an original song entitled "Henry Thomas" on their 1966 album Hums of the Lovin' Spoonful. In 1993 the band Deacon Blue
released a song entitled "Last Night I Dreamed Of Henry Thomas" on their Whatever You Say, Say Nothing album. In addition, his arrangement for "Cottonfield Blues" was performed by early Delta blues
musicians Garfield Akers
and Mississippi Joe Callicott
in 1929.
The whereabouts of Thomas after 1929 have not been chronicled, although he was reportedly seen in Texas in the 1950s. The date and circumstances of his death are uncertain. His complete Vocalion recordings were compiled on a 1990 Yazoo Records
CD titled Texas Worried Blues.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pre-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
country blues
Country blues
Country blues is a general term that refers to all the acoustic, mainly guitar-driven forms of the blues. It often incorporated elements of rural gospel, ragtime, hillbilly, and dixieland jazz...
singer, songster
Songster
The term "songster" is most often used to denote a wandering musician, usually but not always African American, of the type which first appeared in the late 19th century in the southern United States...
and musician. He was often billed as "Ragtime Texas".
Life and career
Thomas was born in Big Sandy, TexasBig Sandy, Texas
Big Sandy is a town in Upshur County, Texas, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town's population was 1,288. A lake of the same name is cut nearly in half by U.S. Highway 80, the main thoroughfare of Big Sandy....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
He began his musical career as an itinerant songster
Songster
The term "songster" is most often used to denote a wandering musician, usually but not always African American, of the type which first appeared in the late 19th century in the southern United States...
and recorded twenty-three sides for Vocalion Records
Vocalion Records
Vocalion Records is a record label active for many years in the United States and in the United Kingdom.-History:Vocalion was founded in 1916 by the Aeolian Piano Company of New York City, which introduced a retail line of phonographs at the same time. The name was derived from one of their...
between 1927 and 1929. Thomas accompanied himself on guitar and on quills, a folk instrument fabricated from cane
Sugarcane
Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
reeds, and would play both instruments and provide vocals for the same song. The instrument is similar in sound to the zampona, used by musicians in Peru and Bolivia.
His springy guitar-playing, probably inspired by banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
-picking styles, implies that he was used to performing for dances.
His legacy has been sustained by his songs which were later covered by musicians after the folk music revival
American folk music revival
The American folk music revival was a phenomenon in the United States that began during the 1940s and peaked in popularity in the mid-1960s. Its roots went earlier, and performers like Josh White, Burl Ives, Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Richard Dyer-Bennett, Oscar Brand, Jean Ritchie, John Jacob...
. "Fishin' Blues" was covered by Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal (musician)
Henry Saint Clair Fredericks , who uses the stage name Taj Mahal, is an American Grammy Award winning blues musician. He incorporates elements of world music into his music...
and The Lovin' Spoonful
The Lovin' Spoonful
The Lovin' Spoonful is an American pop rock band of the 1960s, named to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. When asked about his band, leader John Sebastian said it sounded like a combination of "Mississippi John Hurt and Chuck Berry," prompting his friend, Fritz Richmond, to suggest the name...
. "Bull Doze Blues" was recorded by Canned Heat
Canned Heat
Canned Heat is a blues-rock/boogie rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California in 1965. The group has been noted for its own interpretations of blues material as well as for efforts to promote the interest in this type of music and its original artists...
, retitled "Goin' Up The Country". Here Thomas's melody on quills was reproduced note for note by flautist Jim Horn
Jim Horn
Jim Horn is an American saxophonist and woodwind player. He was born in Los Angeles, and after replacing saxophonist Steve Douglas in 1959, he toured with member Duane Eddy for five years, playing sax and flute on the road, and in the recording studio...
. "Don't Ease Me In" was covered by the Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
on their album Go to Heaven
Go to Heaven
Go to Heaven is the eleventh studio album by the Grateful Dead. It was released on April 28, 1980.The album was released for the first time on CD in 1990 by Arista Records before being re-released in 2000 by BMG International. It was then remastered, expanded, and released as part of the Beyond...
; and "Honey Won't You Allow Me One More Chance" was re-interpreted by Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
(as "Honey Just Allow Me One More Chance") on The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released in May 1963 by Columbia Records. Whereas his debut album Bob Dylan had contained only two original songs, Freewheelin initiated the process of writing contemporary words to traditional melodies....
The songs are different, and little remains of Thomas's song but the title line, but Dylan gives Thomas a co-writer credit, though he was long dead by then. Thomas's vintage recording of "Don't Ease Me In" is included on the compilation album The Music Never Stopped: Roots of the Grateful Dead
The Music Never Stopped: Roots of the Grateful Dead
- Credits :*Produced by Henry Kaiser and David Gans*Mastered by Paul Stubblebine*Notes by Blair Jackson*Front cover design by R. Crumb*Art direction by Joan Pelosi- References :*Strauss, Neil. , The New York Times, October 19, 1995...
. The Lovin' Spoonful recorded an original song entitled "Henry Thomas" on their 1966 album Hums of the Lovin' Spoonful. In 1993 the band Deacon Blue
Deacon Blue
Deacon Blue are a Scottish pop band formed in Glasgow during 1985. Their name was taken from the title of the Steely Dan song "Deacon Blues". The band consists of vocalist Ricky Ross and Lorraine McIntosh, keyboard player James Prime and drummer Dougie Vipond....
released a song entitled "Last Night I Dreamed Of Henry Thomas" on their Whatever You Say, Say Nothing album. In addition, his arrangement for "Cottonfield Blues" was performed by early Delta blues
Delta blues
The Delta blues is one of the earliest styles of blues music. It originated in the Mississippi Delta, a region of the United States that stretches from Memphis, Tennessee in the north to Vicksburg, Mississippi in the south, Helena, Arkansas in the west to the Yazoo River on the east. The...
musicians Garfield Akers
Garfield Akers
Garfield Akers was a blues singer and guitarist. He sometimes performed under the pseudonym "Garfield Partee."...
and Mississippi Joe Callicott
Mississippi Joe Callicott
Mississippi' Joe Callicott , was a United States Delta blues singer and guitarist....
in 1929.
The whereabouts of Thomas after 1929 have not been chronicled, although he was reportedly seen in Texas in the 1950s. The date and circumstances of his death are uncertain. His complete Vocalion recordings were compiled on a 1990 Yazoo Records
Yazoo Records
Yazoo Records is an American record label, founded in the late 1960s by Nick Perls. It specializes in early American blues, country, jazz, and other rural American genres ....
CD titled Texas Worried Blues.
External links
- [ Henry Thomas biography at Allmusic.com]
- Illustrated Henry Thomas discography