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Artist
James "Son" Thomas
12+ albums
bluesdelta blues
about
Blues music is a true expression of folk art, but in the case of James "Son" Thomas, it was only one form of his creative genius that helped him gain recognition. The Blues were always present in his life, but it wasn't until his "discovery" in the mid-1960's by William Ferris that they truly became central to his financial income. Ferris' documentations of Thomas' life in both book and on film helped to gain him worldwide attention which took him to Europe and an encounter with a president. James Thomas entered the world of the Delta on October 14, 1926 in Eden, Mississippi. He never really knew his father and was raised by his maternal grandparents, who also gave him his lifelong nickname "Son" as a term of endearment. Every Saturday, the family traveled to Leland, Mississippi to visit James' mother and sister. As a young boy, Son developed two interests that would play a significant role for the remainder of his life: music and sculpture. His sculpture was made from clay he collected from banks of the nearby Yazoo River and Son had a fondness for creating animal forms. He also enjoyed making trucks from the clay, which earned him the nickname "Ford". The art took a darker side, though, when he decided to play a joke on his grandfather who had a deep fear of the paranormal. He shaped a frightful skull, complete with teeth made out of corn and placed it in a dark location that would become fully lit when his grandfather turned on a light. The effect was terrifyin
![Hard Times (Blues Reference) [recorded in France 1986]](https://lastfm.freetls.fastly.net/i/u/174s/552bd4cc7a20a2e5d55a472b4b0ae03e.png)
