Henry Thomas

Known as 'Ragtime Texas,' Henry Thomas recorded 23 essential sides between 1927 and 1929 that offer a peerless window into the nineteenth-century Black string band and songster tradition, pre-dating standardized blues. He played quills (reed panpipes) simultaneously with guitar, a technique showcased on 'Bull Doze Blues,' famously adapted by Canned Heat as 'Going Up the Country.' He was a hoboing musician who rode the rails, leaving behind some of the most culturally vital recordings in American history.