Craft: Blind Lemon Jefferson

Blind Lemon Jefferson (c. 1880- December 19, 1929) was one of the most important musicians and poets of the 1920s. He was born in either Couchman, Texas, or Wortham, Texas, (about 70 miles south of Dallas) around 1880. He died in the winter of 1929 when there was a major snowstorm in Dallas and Jefferson’s driver either abandoned him and he froze or he had a heart attack and froze; in any case, there is no death certificate. He recorded 94 songs between December 1925 and September 1929. His unique voice, lyrics, and virtuosic guitar playing make him a major figure in not just blues, but in all of 20th century art.

He first made money by performing at “country suppers,” from 8 pm until 4 am, then moved to Dallas in 1917 where he tutored Leadbelly and T-Bone Walker. He traveled around Texas (Texas is a huge state, approximately the size of France), Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and Mississippi.

Blind Lemon Jefferson in the only known photo of him in 1926. The inscription was written by a publicist.