Video of the Week #24

Skip James was an early Mississippi delta blues singer, known for his haunting falsetto. He recorded 18 sides for Paramount in 1931. They didn't sell well and he retired. He was rediscovered by blues enthusiasts in 1964, and he performed and recorded intermittently until his death in 1969. This video was shot by blues researcher Alan Lomax at an after hours gathering during the 1966 Newport Folk Festival. James sings “Devil Got My Woman,” “I'm So Glad” and “Worried Blues.”

This is not the Skip James of 1931. His health was not good and he flubs some guitar lines, but this is rare footage of a blues pioneer. Incidentally, the big guy in the white shirt on the right is Howlin' Wolf. I'm pretty sure the man in the hat in the background is Mississippi John Hurt.