Charley Patton
Charley Patton is considered the Father of the Delta Blues. He was born in 1891 near Edwards, Mississippi. When he was young, his family moved to the Dockery Plantation near Ruleville. It was there that he learned the blues from a man named Henry Sloan and developed his distinctive, flamboyant guitar style. Patton was known to play behind his head and used other guitar "tricks" that later became popular in rock and roll. Though Patton was small- only about 5'5" and 135 pounds- he had a huge, gravelly voice. His music became popular all around the Delta, especially after his recording of "Pony Blues." His most famous recording session took place in 1930 for Paramount Records in Grafton, Wisconsin. Soon thereafter, he married a woman named Bertha Lee, and moved to Indianola, Mississippi, where he died in 1934. Patton's music was very influential on Son House, Robert Johnson, Howlin' Wolf, and the next generation of bluesmen. Below are Charley Patton's biggest hit, and Bob Dylan performing a song about Charley Patton.
Bob Dylan- High Water (for Charley Patton)