Henry Thomas (blues musician): Difference between revisions
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His best-known influence has been through three songs. "Fishin' Blues" was [[cover version|covered]] by [[Taj Mahal (musician)|Taj Mahal]] and [[The Lovin' Spoonful]]; "Bull Doze Blues", was recorded by [[Canned Heat]] as "Goin' Up The Country"; and "Don't Ease Me In" was covered by the [[Grateful Dead]] on their album ''[[Go to Heaven]]''. Modern listeners can hear Henry Thomas's recording of "Don't Ease Me In" on the [[compilation album]] ''[[The Music Never Stopped: Roots of the Grateful Dead]]''. |
His best-known influence has been through three songs. "Fishin' Blues" was [[cover version|covered]] by [[Taj Mahal (musician)|Taj Mahal]] and [[The Lovin' Spoonful]]; "Bull Doze Blues", was recorded by [[Canned Heat]] as "Goin' Up The Country"; and "Don't Ease Me In" was covered by the [[Grateful Dead]] on their album ''[[Go to Heaven]]''. Modern listeners can hear Henry Thomas's recording of "Don't Ease Me In" on the [[compilation album]] ''[[The Music Never Stopped: Roots of the Grateful Dead]]''. In 1993 Deacon Blue released a song entitled 'Last Night I Dreamed Of Henry Thomas' on their 'Whatever You Say, Say Nothing' LP. |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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Revision as of 20:07, 3 June 2009
Henry Thomas (1874-1960s?[1]) was an American pre-World War II, country blues singer, songster and musician.
Thomas, billed as "Ragtime Texas", was born in Big Sandy, Texas, and began his musical career as an itinerant songster (minstrel), and recorded twenty-three songs from 1927 to 1929. He accompanied himself with the guitar and the quills, a folk instrument made from cane reeds that sound similar to the zampona, used by musicians in Peru and Bolivia. Some of his songs are difficult to categorize — they sound more like precursors to the blues, rather than what is now called "blues." They are, therefore, a rare testimony of the kind of music which preceded the establishment of the blues around 1900.
His springy guitar-playing, probably inspired by banjo-picking styles, implies that he was used to catering for dancing.[2]
His best-known influence has been through three songs. "Fishin' Blues" was covered by Taj Mahal and The Lovin' Spoonful; "Bull Doze Blues", was recorded by Canned Heat as "Goin' Up The Country"; and "Don't Ease Me In" was covered by the Grateful Dead on their album Go to Heaven. Modern listeners can hear Henry Thomas's recording of "Don't Ease Me In" on the compilation album The Music Never Stopped: Roots of the Grateful Dead. In 1993 Deacon Blue released a song entitled 'Last Night I Dreamed Of Henry Thomas' on their 'Whatever You Say, Say Nothing' LP.
See also
References
- ^ Some sources state 1930
- ^ Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues - From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books Limited. p. 176. ISBN 1-85868-255-X.
External links
- Henry Thomas from the Handbook of Texas Online
- Henry Thomas biography at Allmusic website
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