AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bukka White

Artist:Bukka White

Song:Aberdeen Mississippi Blues

Album:Shake 'Em on Down

Like a lot of bluesmen from the Mississippi delta, Booker T. Washington "Bukka" White recorded a few records in the 30s and then he faded into obscurity. Fortunately, he was still around when the folk music boom happened in the 60s. So he got to record and tour until his 1977 death. He was born Nov. 12, 1904 in Aberdeen, MS which is on the eastern border near Houston. White's birth year is confirmed by census data. His first cousin was B.B. King's mother. His father was a railroad worker who played mostly fiddle in his spare time. He gave White a guitar for his ninth birthday. And then he gave him a new guitar when he married at age 16 and moved to Houston. Sadly, his wife died from a burst appendix. While working on a farm, he told friends he wanted to be like bluesman Charley Patton. White was spotted by talent scout and general store owner Ralph Lembo and he took White to Memphis to record a couple of sides for RCA in 1930. White started playing with harmonica player George "Bullet" Williams in 1932. White's mother died in 1933 and then he married Williams' niece in 1934. They moved to Aberdeen to farm while White toured. He went to Chicago in 1935 with Peetie Wheatstraw and made friends with Big Bill Broonzy and others. He returned to Chicago to record a couple of sides for Vocalion Records producer Lester Melrose. When they spelled his name "Bukka" on the record label, White took the name Bukka White. When White returned home, he was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in Mississippi State Penitentiary or as it was commonly known Parchman Farm. Meanwhile, Shake 'Em on Down became a hit. While in jail, White recorded for folklorist John Lomax. Then when he was released from jail in 1940, he went to Chicago to record for Vocalion. After divorcing his wife, White moved back to Chicago and played clubs in 1942. Aberdeen Mississippi Blues were among his recordings for Columbia's race label Okeh. You can get all of White's recordings from that period on this budget CD from the British label Catfish. Changing musical styles meant that White's country blues was out of style in the 50s. But then the 60s folk music boom made country blues popular again. And White was one of several musicians who rode that wave and recorded and toured in the 60s. White started having health problems in 1975 and he died on Feb. 26, 1977 at age 72. White was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1990. Here's Bukka White performing Aberdeen Mississippi Blues 1967.