Stackhouse was born Houston Goff, in Wesson, Mississippi, and was the son of Garfield Goff. He was raised by James Wade Stackhouse on the Randall Ford Plantation, and Stackhouse only learned the details of his parentage when he applied for a passport in later life.
Relocating in his teenage years with his family to Crystal Springs, Mississippi, he became inspired listening to records by Blind Blake, Blind Lemon Jefferson and Lonnie Johnson, and by local musicians. By the late 1930s, Stackhouse had played guitar around the Delta states and worked with members of the Mississippi Sheiks, plus Robert Johnson, Charlie McCoy and Walter Vinson. He also teamed up with his distant cousin, Robert Nighthawk, whom he taught how to play guitar. Originally a fan of Tommy Johnson, Stackhouse often covered his songs. In 1946, Stackhouse moved to Helena, Arkansas to live near to Nighthawk, and for a time was a member of Nighthawk’s band, playing on KFFA radio.
He split from Nighthawk in 1947 and alongside the drummer James "Peck" Curtis, appeared on KFFA's "King Biscuit Time" programme, with the guitar player Joe Willie Wilkins plus pianists Pinetop Perkins and Robert Traylor. Sonny Boy Williamson II then rejoined the show, and that combo performed across the Delta, using their radio presence to advertise their concert performances.
Stackhouse tutored both Jimmy Rogers and Sammy Lawhorn on guitar techniques. Between 1948 and 1954, Stackhouse worked during the day at the Chrysler plant in West Helena, Arkansas, and played the blues in his leisure time. He did not move from the South, unlike many of his contemporaries, and continued to perform locally into the 1960s with Frank Frost, Boyd Gilmore and Baby Face Turner. In May 1965, Sonny Boy Williamson II, who was by then back on "King Biscuit Time", utilised Stackhouse when he was recorded in concert by Chris Strachwitz of Arhoolie Records. The recording was issued under Williamson's name, titled King Biscuit Time. Shortly afterwards, Williamson died, but Stackhouse continued briefly on the radio program, back in tandem with Nighthawk.
In 1967, George Mitchell recorded Stackhouse in Dundee, Mississippi. Named the Blues Rhythm Boys, Stackhouse was joined by both Curtis and Nighthawk, although the latter died shortly after the recording was made. Another field researcher, David Evans, recorded Stackhouse in Crystal Springs, but by 1970 following the deaths of both Curtis and Mason, Stackhouse had moved on to Memphis, Tennessee. There he resided with his old friend Joe Willie Wilkins and his wife Carrie. At the height of the blues revival Stackhouse toured with Wilkins, and the Memphis Blues Caravan, and appeared at various music festivals. His lone trip overseas saw Stackhouse play in 1976 in Vienna, Austria.
Earlier in February 1972, Stackhouse recorded an album titled Cryin' Won't Help You. It was released on CD in 1994.
Stackhouse returned to Helena, where he died in September 1980, at the age of 69. A son, Houston Stackhouse Jr., survived him.
The acoustic stage at the annual Arkansas Blues and Heritage Festival is named after Stackhouse.
Big Road Blues
Houston Stackhouse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Big road by myself
A-don't ya hear me talkin', pretty mama?
Lord, ain't goin' down this
Big road by myself
If I don't carry you
Gon car' somebody else
My backdoor, someday
A-don't ya hear me talkin', pretty mama?
Lord, sun gon' shine in
My backdoor, someday
A wind gon' change all
Blow my blues away
Baby, what made you do
Things you do-do-do
Like you do-do-do?
Don't you hear me, now?
What made you do me
Like you do-do-do?
Now, you think 'gon do me like you
Done to po' old Cherry Red
Take the poor boy's money, now
Sho' nuff, you won't take mine
A-don't ya hear me talkin', pretty mama?
Taken this poor boy's money
Sho' nuff, won't take mine
Taken the po' boy's money, now
Sure t' God, you won't take mine
Cryin', ain't goin' down this
Big road by myself
A-don't you hear me talkin', pretty mama?
Lord, ain't goin' down this
Big road by myself
If I don't car' you
Gon' carry somebody else
Cryin', sun gon' shine on
My back door someday
A-don't you hear me talkin', pretty mama?
Know sun gon' shine in
My back door someday
And a wind gon' change and
Blow my blues away.
Houston Stackhouse's "Big Road Blues" is a blues lament about a failed relationship. The singer addresses his "pretty mama," lamenting that she has deserted him and that he won't "go down this Big Road" alone. He pleads with her to return, to "carry" him along the way instead of leaving him to face the world alone. He also expresses his confusion and pain regarding her actions: "Baby, what made you do things you do-do-do/Like you do-do-do?" He is deeply hurt by her betrayal and is frightened that he will be treated like "po' old Cherry Red," who was similarly wronged.
Stackhouse sings of hope that things will soon improve when "sun gon' shine in my backdoor someday." He believes that eventually, the wind will change and "blow my blues away," indicating that he still has faith that the future will be better. Nevertheless, he remains overcome by the difficulty of his current plight and continues to implore his lover to return and comfort him.
The lyrics to "Big Road Blues" are poignant and emotional, evoking the sense of abandonment and distress one feels when a significant relationship fails. Despite this, there are glimpses of hope, indicating that the singer may yet regain his footing and find happiness in the future.
Line by Line Meaning
Cryin', ain't goin' down this
Big road by myself
I don't wanna take this journey all alone, it's too much to bear by myself
A-don't ya hear me talkin', pretty mama?
Hey, can you hear me what I'm trying to tell you
Lord, ain't goin' down this
Big road by myself
I need someone to be with me on this journey, I can't handle it alone
If I don't carry you
Gon car' somebody else
If you don't come with me, I'll have to find someone else to come with me
Cryin, sun gon' shine in
My backdoor, someday
I know that one day things will get better and the sun will shine again
A wind gon' change all
Blow my blues away
I believe that a change in the wind will blow away all my sorrows and blues
Baby, what made you do
Things you do-do-do
Like you do-do-do?
Don't you hear me, now?
Tell me why you do the things you do, can't you hear me asking you?
What made you do me
Like you do-do-do?
Now, you think 'gon do me
Like you done to po' old Cherry Red
Why did you treat me this way? Don't think you can treat me badly like you did to Cherry Red
Take the poor boy's money, now
Sho' nuff, you won't take mine
You may have taken advantage of that poor boy, but you won't do the same to me
Taken this poor boy's money
Sho' nuff, won't take mine
Taken the po' boy's money, now
Sure t' God, you won't take mine
You might have taken money from others, but you won't be able to take mine
Know sun gon' shine in
My back door someday
And a wind gon' change and
Blow my blues away.
I am confident that the sun will shine again and the winds of change will blow away my blues
Contributed by Alexander T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.