His guitar playing is noted for its dark, minor-key sound, played in an open D-minor tuning with an intricate finger picking technique. James first recorded for Paramount Records in 1931, but these recordings sold poorly, having been released during the Great Depression, and he drifted into obscurity.
After a long absence from the public eye, James was "rediscovered" in 1964 by blues enthusiasts, helping further the blues and folk music revival of the 1950s and early 1960s. During this period, James appeared at folk and blues festivals, gave concerts around the country and recorded several albums for various record labels. His songs have influenced generations of musicians and have been adapted by numerous artists. He has been hailed as "one of the seminal figures of the blues.
James was described as aloof and moody. The musicologist Dick Spottswood commented, "Skip James, you never knew. Skip could be sunshine, or thunder and lightning depending on his whim of the moment".
James is sometimes associated with the Bentonia School, which is either a subgenre of blues music or a style of playing it. Calt, in his 1994 biography of James, I'd Rather Be the Devil: Skip James and the Blues, maintained that no style of blues originated in Bentonia and that the "Bentonia School" is simply a notion of later blues writers who overestimated the provinciality of Mississippi during the early 20th century, when railways linked small towns, and who failed to see that in the case of Jack Owens, "the 'tradition' he bore primarily consisted of musical scraps from James' table". Owens and other musicians who may have been contemporaries of James were not recorded until the revival of interest in blues music in the 1960s. Whether the work of these musicians constituted a "school" and whether James originated it or was a member of it remain open questions.
Hard Luck Child
Skip James Lyrics
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I've been to the nation, I've been to the territo'
And I'm a hard luck child, catch the devil everywhere I go...
You work out... long old lonesome road
You work out... Holler, long old lonesome road
I'm got to leave from here
Gotta catch the first train that blows
She used to be mine, but look who got her now
She used to be mine, but look who got her now
And he sure can't keep her
She don't mean him no good no now
Now I b'lieve to my soul, my mama's bad-luck child
I b'lieve to my soul, my mama bad-luck child
And if I wouldn't... women would run me wild
In Skip James's Hard-Luck Child, the singer recounts his travels to various places, both on and off reservations. Everywhere he goes, he seems to attract misfortune and trouble, referring to himself as a "hard luck child" and claiming that he catches the devil wherever he goes. The song also touches upon a failed romantic relationship, with the singer referencing a woman who used to be his but has since moved on to someone else. However, the singer does not seem too concerned about this, as he believes the new man cannot keep her and that she does not mean him any good anyway. The final verse reveals that the singer blames his bad luck on his mother, whom he refers to as a "bad-luck child." He suggests that if he didn't have this curse, women would run him wild.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been to the Indian nation, and I've been to the territo'
I have traveled to different places and territories, trying to find my place in this world.
And I'm a hard luck child, catch the devil everywhere I go...
I am an unfortunate person who encounters problems wherever I go.
You work out... long old lonesome road
You have to work hard and take a long, lonely road to reach your destination.
I'm got to leave from here
I have to leave this place to find a better life for myself.
Gotta catch the first train that blows
I have to take the first opportunity available to move forward with my life.
She used to be mine, but look who got her now
Someone else is now in possession of something that I used to have.
And he sure can't keep her
The person who has something that used to belong to me is incapable of holding onto it.
She don't mean him no good no now
The person who has something that used to belong to me is not being treated well by it.
Now I b'lieve to my soul, my mama's bad-luck child
I think deep down that I am an unlucky person who has inherited this trait from my mother.
And if I wouldn't... women would run me wild
If I didn't have bad luck, I would be too attractive to women and they would chase after me.
Contributed by Joshua F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.