Death Letter Blues (1965)
Son House had completely abandoned music and was living in Rochester, New York, when he was rediscovered by young folk enthusiasts in 1964. The following year, Columbia Records producer John Hammond brought the...
Son House had completely abandoned music and was living in Rochester, New York, when he was rediscovered by young folk enthusiasts in 1964. The following year, Columbia Records producer John Hammond brought the 63-year-old legend into the studio. Relearning his own style, House recorded "Death Letter Blues," a gripping narrative about viewing the body of a deceased lover on a cooling board. House attacked his steel National guitar with a copper slide, shouting the lyrics with a terrifying, unvarnished intensity that proved the power of his 1930s recordings remained intact.