Blind Lemon Jefferson
| Blind Lemon Jefferson | |
|---|---|
Only known photograph of Jefferson, ca. 1926
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Lemon Henry Jefferson |
| Also known as | Deacon L. J. Bates |
| Born |
September 24, 1893 Coutchman, Texas, U.S. |
| Origin | Texas |
| Died | December 19, 1929 (aged 36) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Genres | Blues, gospel blues |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, musician |
| Instruments | Guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1900s–1929 |
| Labels | |
| Notable instruments | |
| Acoustic guitar | |
Blind Lemon Jefferson (born Lemon Henry Jefferson; September 24, 1893 – December 19, 1929) was an American blues and gospel singer, guitarist, and songwriter from Texas. He was one of the most popular blues singers of the 1920s and has been called the "Father of the Texas Blues".
Jefferson's performances were distinctive because of his high-pitched voice and the originality of his guitar playing. His recordings sold well, but he was not a strong influence on younger blues singers of his generation, who could not imitate him as easily as they could other commercially successful artists. Later blues and rock and roll musicians, however, did attempt to imitate both his songs and his musical style.
Jefferson was born blind (or possibly partially blind), near Coutchman, in Freestone County, near present-day Wortham, Texas. He was the youngest of seven (or possibly eight) children born to Alex and Clarissa Jefferson, who were sharecroppers. Disputes regarding the date of his birth derive from contradictory census records and draft registration records. By 1900, the family was farming southeast of Streetman, Texas, and his birth date is indicated as September 1893 in the 1900 census. The 1910 census, taken in May, before his birthday, further confirms his year of birth as 1893 and indicated that the family was farming northwest of Wortham, near his birthplace.
In his 1917 draft registration, Jefferson gave his birth date as October 26, 1894, further stating that he then lived in Dallas, Texas, and had been blind since birth. In the 1920 census, he is recorded as having returned to Freestone County and was living with his half-brother, Kit Banks, on a farm between Wortham and Streetman.
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