Blind Melon Jefferson: The Father of Texas Blues
by Geary Smith (USA)

“Where are you going now little man?” asked Big Momma.  “Little man, where are you headed off to now?”

Little Lemon Jefferson was just 10 years old, as he slowly walked down the dirt road near Wortham, Texas.  Although, he was born blind, he did not let that stop him from having fun and doing new and exciting things he loved to do, like fishing, camping and playing his guitar.  Although, he could not see, he developed his other senses, like his ability to hear sounds that most people could not hear, like birds singing and crickets chirping.  He could tell different musical notes when played on a piano or guitar.  He could smell and tell the different kinds of flowers and roses around his house.  And, he could feel things with his fingers and tell you what it was.  Lemon would spend hours and hours sitting around the two room house, listening to his Big Momma sing gospel songs.

“I am going fishing down at the lake, Big Momma,” he replied. “I will be home after a while.”

Lemon was walking to his favorite fishing spot on the banks of Lake Mexia.  Some people would come to believe that it was when he was away from home for hours that he learned how to play the guitar.  He would practice for hours, placing his small fingers on the guitar strings, and developing his own unique style of music.  At first, it was very difficult for Lemon just to find the right strings on the guitar to play notes and cords, but, he never gave up and continued to practice.  Everyday, after school, and doing his chores around the house, he would practice. Lemon would listen to different kinds of music on the radio, and then try to imitate the sounds on his guitar.

“What kind of music is that?” asked his older brother.  “I have never heard music like that before.”

“It is called the blues,” replied Lemon.  “It is something totally new.” After several years of practicing on his guitar just around the house and playing for his Big Momma, young Lemon was invited to play at a local picnic.

“Come on, Lemon you are up next,” said his brother.  “I will help you to the stage area.”

Well, it did not take very long before people enjoyed Lemon’s unique style of music, and began inviting him to play at parties, rodeos, social events and night clubs in cities like Groesbeck, Buffalo and Waco.  It was around 1915 that Lemon would move to Dallas and would make a name for himself singing the blues.  In 1980, Blind Lemon Jefferson was inducted into the Blues Foundation’s Hall of Fame.

So, every year, on the second Saturday in September, people come from all over the Unite States to the small town of Wortham, Texas to listen to the blues, eat delicious food, meet friends and relatives, and remember the father of Texas blues, Blind Lemon Jefferson.

THE END

Reference:

David Evans, ed., Journal of Black Music Research, 20.1 (Spring 2000). Alan Govenar, Meeting the Blues (New York: Da Capo, 1995). Alan Govenar and Jay Brakefield, Deep Ellum and Central Track: Where the Black and White Worlds of Dallas Converged (Denton: University of North Texas Press, 1998). Robert Uzzel, Blind Lemon Jefferson: His Life, His Death, and His Legacy (Austin: Eakin Press, 2002).