Henry Thomas (blues musician)
- Henry Thomas (blues musician)
Henry Thomas (1874-1950s? [Some sources state 1930] ) 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.[cite book]
first= Tony
last= Russell
year= 1997
title= The Blues - From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray
edition=
publisher=Carlton Books Limited
location= Dubai
pages= p. 176
id= ISBN 1-85868-255-X] His best-known influence has been through two songs. "Fishin' Blues" was covered by Taj Mahal and The Lovin' Spoonful; and "Bull Doze Blues", was recorded by Canned Heat as "Goin' Up The Country".
ee also
*Origins of the blues
*Anthology of American Folk Music
References
External links
*
* [http://wc09.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:3iftxq95ldae~T1 Henry Thomas biography] at Allmusic website
Wikimedia Foundation.
2010.
Look at other dictionaries:
Henry Thomas (disambiguation) — Henry Thomas may refer to:*Henry Thomas, American actor *Henry Thomas (blues musician) (1874 ndash;c. 1950) *Henry Thomas (football player) *Henry Thomas (suspected combustion death) (died 1980) *Henry F. Thomas (1843 1912), U.S. Representative… … Wikipedia
Henry Gray (musician) — Henry Gray (born January 19, 1925, Kenner, Louisiana) is an African American blues piano player and singer. He has been playing for more than seven decades, and has played with a multitude of artists including Robert Lockwood Jr., Billy Boy… … Wikipedia
Thomas Johnson — Thomas Johnson, Tom Johnson or Tommy Johnson may refer to:Public officials*Thomas Johnson (Liverpool merchant) (1664 ndash;1728), English Member of Parliament; key role in establishing modern port of Liverpool *Thomas Johnson (Virginia), American … Wikipedia
Blues — This article is about the music genre. For other uses, see Blues (disambiguation). Blues Stylistic origins African American folk music Work song Spirituals Cultural origins Late 19th century, southern United States Typical instruments … Wikipedia
List of Delta blues musicians — 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, the Mississippi River… … Wikipedia
Blues Summit — Studioalbum von B. B. King Veröffentlichung 1993 Label MCA Format … Deutsch Wikipedia
James Thomas — may refer to:* James Thomas (Governor of Maryland) (1785–1845) * James Thomas (Australian politician) (1826–1884) * James Thomas (basketball) (b. 1980), American professional basketball player * James Thomas, 1st Viscount Cilcennin (1903–1960),… … Wikipedia
Henry Rollins — Infobox musical artist Name = Henry Rollins Img capt = Henry Rollins in 2005 Background = solo singer Birth name = Henry Lawrence Garfield Born = birth date and age|mf=yes|1961|2|13 Washington, D.C., U.S. Died = Instrument = Vocals Genre =… … Wikipedia
List of country blues musicians — The following is a list of country blues musicians.A*Alger Texas Alexander (September 12, 1900 ndash; April 16, 1954) Born in Jowett, Texas, Alexander was a country blues singer who was one of the original forebearers of Texas blues music. He… … Wikipedia
Origins of the blues — Little is known about the exact origin of the music now known as the blues.[1] No specific year can be cited as the origin of the blues, largely because the style evolved over a long period of time and existed in approaching its modern form… … Wikipedia
