This is the third in a series of profiles on lesser-known but important African Americans commemorating Black History Month.

Before there was Jimi Hendrix, there was B.B. King. Before B.B. King, there was Muddy Waters. Before Muddy Waters, there was Robert Johnson.

And before Robert Johnson, there was Son House.

Although not the first musician to bring the blues of the Mississippi Delta to the masses, Eddie James “Son” House Jr. was one of the most influential. His blending of field hollers, Southern gospel and juke-joint debauchery made a blues stew that influenced nearly every blues, R&B and rock guitarist who followed, and is still being emulated to this day by the likes of John Mayer and Jack White.

And, in the true blues tradition, he crafted it from a lifetime of experience.

Born in the heart of the Delta between 1898 and 1902 (his birthdate is disputed), House was at one time or another a preacher, a tractor driver, a railroad porter and a convict in one of Mississippi’s most notorious penitentiaries for killing a man in a juke-joint brawl. (His sentence was later commuted by a judge who ruled House had acted in self-defense).

During the 1930s, House teamed up with another blues legend, Charley Patton, and Patton’s prot?, Willie Brown. The trio quickly built a reputation around the South and inspired a young, inexperienced Robert Johnson to play the blues for a living. (House is sometimes credited with spreading the legend of Johnson selling his soul to the devil at a crossroads after Johnson’s untimely death.)

House’s style was unique both in terms of playing and songwriting. With the former, he pioneered a technique of snapping the strings to create accompanying rhythm and using a slide to create ringing treble tones.

With the latter, he sung about lost love, death and sin — especially about the conflict within him of wanting to preach the gospel but loving the blues too much to give it up.

In essence, he crafted songs drawn from the struggles of own life. And, unknowingly, he helped set the template for numerous musical styles to come, from rhythm and blues and rock ‘n’ roll to rap and hip-hop. His repertoire, which included “Walking Blues,” “Preachin’ Blues” and “Death Letter,” are still being covered by modern rock and blues musicians.

Although he recorded some songs early in his career, House didn’t achieve commercial success until the 1960s, when British bands such as The Rolling Stones and The Yardbirds were dipping into the blues catalog and serving it back to Americans with a pop sheen. By that time, House had retired from the business.

But after being tracked down by a group of blues enthusiasts, he made a triumphant return to the stage in the mid-’60s and experienced a resurgence that went well beyond his original career. House continued to perform until poor health forced him to retire once again in 1974; he died of cancer in 1988. 

Deputy Managing Editor Rod Harmon may be contacted at 791-6450 or at: rharmon@pressherald.com