Son House, "Death Letter" (Greatest Song of All Time of the Day)

I could go on all weekend about Son House, one of the top and longest-lasting country bluesman, but I'll be kind to you and get to the music quickly. His original recordings are messages from a foreign land, his sessions and concerts after rediscovery rival Skip James' (hear an interview with John Fahey and the future Dr. Demento from that period), and both his lyrical and guitar styles are slashing and unforgettable. "Death Letter" is as deep as country blues gets. National resonator guitar!

• [Michael Leddy]

  The second guitarist is Jerry Ricks.

  And from the same 1968 television show, 47 seconds of Son House and Buddy Guy.

  [My jaw is dropping.]

  • [John Greg]

    Thanks for that.

• [JoshP]

  Yeah, alternating thumb and index on bass notes and downsweep strumming with his nails, while destroying the slide. that’s an awesome recording. It’s a really visceral, physical playing style.

• [Anonymous]

  You tell ‘em GuyInMilwaukee. “John The Revelator” is one of my favorites as well. I would say “Grinning In Your Face” is way cooler as well.

  Glad to see Mr. House get some props!

• [Anonymous]

  Fantastic, the person that turned me onto Son House was a co-worker of mine , we used to share cd’s of the old blue’s players , then 1 day he brought me a cd of Son House , turns out, Mr. House was his great uncle !

• [clintalt]

  Son House was, and is Jack Whites main source of musical direction: In the movie “It Might Get Loud” he plays the acapella version of Grinnin’ in Your Face from an old reel to reel tape; It’s sung out by the gritty voice of Son House, White further explains that this song, this particular iteration of it, complete with an old mans bad timing and off key vocal, imbodies a truthful kind of music, and it’s what he strives to make in every song he does with Meg White.

  I suggest the Under Blackpool lights performance of Death Letter by the White Stripes as it is pure electricity in its power. The whole set (Under Blackpool Lights) is worth the time to see it’s entirety and is on youtube currently, and there is a particulary volatile rendition of Jolene (originally by Dolly Parton) as part of the setlist.

• [Bazilisk]

  I seriously love the White Stripes and their version of this is one of my favorites.

  THIS version, though, is amazing and chilling and powerful in its own way. Might even be better. I always take note of the songs that literally make my hair stand on end.

• [Gordon Stark]

  Hey Jimmy, please pardon my sensibilities here, but…

  Have you ever listened to any Independent Artists, or is all you know about OLD big label artists?

  I have been watching your postings, and I am sure that they hold interest for many of the the nearly dead’s reading along, but there is a whole world of incredible music and artist’s out there which you seem to have no awareness of, whatsoever.

  No disrespect to a music historian, but this is 2010 Jimmy, and people are interested in what’s happening.

  The artists you write about were fantastic, there is no question, and reflecting upon them is fair and wonderful, but this is BoingBoing for God’s sake.

  Cheers!

  • [Deidzoeb]

    As with anything declared “Greatest of all time” YMMV.

  • [freshacconci]

    I’d say this is what’s happening.

  • [oheso]

    This is what’s happenin’, right here, right now. Son House and Jimmy Guterman.

  • [Anonymous]

    I’ve enjoyed every single one of the “Greatest Song of All Time of the Day.” There’s plenty of independent music on your local college radio experience.

• [ill lich]

  When hip hop MCs talk about “keeping it real” and “the realness” and such, this is what they are talking about. There ain’t nothing more real than the blues as performed by Son House, it’s like watching a man’s soul explode. I remember when I was a teenager Son House’s music used to creep out some of my friends more than say, Black Sabbath.

• [glossamer]

  I just gotta say I am loving these gsatd,man its fab and they send you on a chase for more! Truly wonderful work you guys are doing,hope your mothers are proud.

• [GuyInMilwaukee]

  Love it. I might have gone with “John The Revelator” for greatest song evah but oh well.

  • [gewurztraminer]

    I would have gone with John the Revelator (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TG86smScoaA) too but it’s hard to go wrong where Son House is concerned.

• [Michael Leddy]

  This is one of the great Son House performances (another: “Empire State Blues” with Alan Wilson, recorded at Newport).

  The link to the interview is wrong, but I found an excerpt here. I’d love to hear the whole thing.

  • [Jimmy Guterman]

    link fixed; thanks for the catch, Michael!

• [Anonymous]

  I watched this for the first time today and immediately set out to track it down on CD.

  Thanks to Amazon’s Son House store, I previewed all of the versions of this song that they had available, and personally concluded that this exact version of “Death Letter” is available on “The Delta Blues Of Son House”. Listen and judge for yourself.

  • [clintalt]

    Definately the best album out of his material.

• [Anonymous]

  this White Stripes cover is pretty awesome. the impact of legendary artists that most music listeners have never heard of cannot if ever be fully comprehended.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fM2qhG8mA4

• [Day Vexx]

  I don’t have anything to say here.

  I’m just waiting for one of the dopes from the Die Antwoord thread to come by and say Son House ain’t real, so I can smack ‘em.

• [eap]

  Bad as hell

• [BijouxBoy]

  I am in the middle of a major Jerry Reed phase, and have been bathed in high-pickin’, and Son House’s music did indeed call from somewhere else. All rough and raw, yet the primal singing voice and subconscious virtuoso guitar playing are all there with the slick Jerry Reed as well. The same stuff, whatever it is. In both men. Got to come out.

  Thank you Jimmy Guterman for posting this.

• [Ratdog]

  Yo Son House, I’m really happy for you and I’mma let you finish, but the White Stripes had the best version of Death Letter of all time.

• [John Greg]

  That’s a good clip. Anybody have idea who the second guitar player is?

  • [Pantograph]

    I see what you did there.

    • [John Greg]

      What’d I do? What’d I do?

• [mzed]

  Thanks, this made my morning.

• [Nylund]

  This exact version of this song has long ranked as one of my favorite recordings of all time.

• [magneticwheels]

  great song, great performance! musical aside: this song was the inspiration for captain beefheart’s “ah feel like ahcid”- in which he gets a different kind of letter and licks the stamp.