Son House - Death Letter

This is an acoustic solo performance by legendary blues musician Son House. House isn't as widely known and famous as Robert Johnson who was also one of the old dogs when it comes to blues. Son House was born in 1902 and got to have a long life lasting to 1988 which meant he got to be around the greats and even influence some of them. Many people believe that House has influenced Johnson, in fact Johnson incorporated some of "Death Letter" into his own blues classic "Walking Blues". Son House, because of his old age, was also one of the people who helped spread the myth that Johnson had sold his soul to the devil in trade of his marvellous musical abilities.
The song Death Letter is about a man who learns about the death of the woman he loves in a letter. It is a very dark and depressive song, as the narrator views her dead body in the morgue and attends the funeral only to return home in a state of depression.
The song and Son House himself also gained some new notoriety in recent years due to Jack White being heavily influenced by him. The White Stripes has also covered Death Letter live on numerous occasions. It's a great song with a simple rhythm. One man and his guitar, that's what the blues is all about.

Enjoy ; )

Roy Rogers - Walkin' Blues

This is a performance by slide guitarist Roy Rogers. The song was originally composed and recorded by blues legend Robert Johnson. It was released as a B-side to Johnson's song "Sweet Home Chicago".
It's a pretty classic song, and it's been covered by a lot of artists such as Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton and Rory Gallagher.
I love Roy's version, he's just so good with that slide, and comes closest to capturing some of the original. Both Rory's and Clapton's versions are much slower than the original, and are good in their own right. But Roy's version rocks!

Enjoy ; )