Henry Sloan
All that is known about Sloan is, he was an itinerate field hand who was possibly the first known Delta blues musician. He may have been the slide guitarist W. C Handy heard on the Tukwiler train station platform. And that he was one of Charley Patton's teachers. Although this wasn't particularly encouraged by Sloan himself. Robert Palmer, in his blues history book, "Deep Blues," said Patton "dogged his every step, at least for a few years."

There are rumors that some of Patton's compositions were his versions of Sloan's songs. But there are no recordings of Henry Sloan to verify this. He was probably too rough to interest early blues recording labels like Paramount and ARC. Sloan wasn't an entertainer like Patton. Sloan played for himself. There are no recordings of Henry Sloan.

Charley Patton
We'll never know for sure what went down on Dockery Farm. If Charley Patton didn't invent the blues as we know it, he certainly had a lot to do with it's original creation as a distinct music form. There are two boxed collections of Patton's work. The expensive one, released on Fahey's Revenant Records, will also get you a copy of Fahey's out of print thesis on Patton. Be prepared to listen through a lot of scratchy surface noise.
Yazoo Records 2003's release The Best of Charley Patton is widely recognized as the best mastered album of Patton's songs. The Jsp Records box set release Charley Patton Complete Recordings 1929-34 will get you all of Patton's recordings for a modest cost.

Son House
A lapsed preacher, Son House was a contemporary of Charley Patton. Fortunately he was rediscovered during the 1960's folk and blues revival and re-recorded in several sessions. Son House is considered by many to be the best blues singer of all time. The double album, Son House - Father of the Delta Blues: The Complete 1965 Sessions is excellent.

Skip James
Another (known) early blues pioneer, Skip James, was rediscovered by Fahey and his circle. Due to his tough demeanor, quiet singing, and sophisticated style, James was not a successful blueman. But he was influential among other blues musicians and jazz musicians. James' music also got a boost when the British band Cream recorded one of his songs. The 1998 Vanguard release, Skip James - Blues From the Delta has all of his rediscovery sessions. Yazoo's 2005 release Skip James - Hard Time Killin Floor has remastered versions of all of his original early recordings.

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Text is copyrighted for use in upcoming books and all other purposes.

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Note:
Text is copyrighted for use in upcoming books and all other purposes.

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