It is not commonly apparent to most blues fans that White was B.B. King’s uncle, but their individual approaches to the blues could not be any more different.  B.B. was a sinewy, fluid, single-string electric blues guitar artisan, in contrast to White’s oftentimes rough-hewn guitar efforts that stand in archaic comparison to King’s, usually delivered via a Duolian resonator guitar.  Moreover, White often deployed heavy slide guitar shaping in his blues. 

White’s music was fascinatingly poetic and autobiographical by description.  White moved the blues to the sphere of fine art.  His lyrics are well-constructed and considered, and are vastly heightened by his vocal force.  Simply, in White’s blues, there is an amazing interplay between voice and guitar that made his music uniquely his own.

White was born in Houston, Mississippi, in the northeastern part of the state in Chickasaw County, in 1909 as Booker T. Washington White.  His father, a railway worker, is said to have been a multi-faceted instrumentalist, known to play both the violin and guitar.  It was from his father that White’s interest in music was prompted.  It was also his father who taught him to play the both the violin and guitar at the young age of nine.  However, there was a grandmother who lived with White’s family who was very opposed to there being, as she termed it, “the devil’s music” played in the home.  So, at the age of 14, his interest in the guitar and blues growing, White moved to Clarksdale to live with an uncle where his musical interests could continue to be nurtured. 

Needing to assist in supporting himself and his new household, White found work in farm labor.  His guitar knowhow continued to develop, and a fortuitous encounter with the famed Delta bluesman Charley Patton provided him with additional guitar techniques, and further sprouted his interest in the blues. 

Not one afraid to wander, White began hoboing on trains throughout the South and to as far north as St. Louis, playing blues wherever he could; at parties, fish fries, picnics, and even at poolrooms, among other venues, for the food and money he needed to survive.  When musical work was scarce, White picked up odd jobs to supplement his existence. 

In 1930, White found himself in Memphis, and this turned out to be a critical moment in his blues career.  He was noticed by a Victor label talent scout, and he went into the studio and recorded 14 songs, of which 11 were blues, and three were gospel.  He was backed on the gospel cuts by famous blues artist Memphis Minnie.  Resulting from this session, only two 78rpm records were released, two each in the blues and gospel veins, four songs in total.

It was from this recording session that White received his “Bukka” moniker, as it has been understood that his Caucasian record producer was not aware of the historically famous American educator, author, orator, and advisor to several presidents of the United States for whom White was named at birth.

The Great Depression hit shortly after White’s recording session, stifling additional releases as sales of records considerably fell.  Due to the downturn in music sales and dwindling opportunities for consistent live musical appearances, White turned to playing baseball in the Negro leagues with Birmingham’s Black Cats team, and then attempted a career in professional boxing in Chicago.

1937 was another major year for White.  Famous bluesman Big Bill Broonzy convinced Lester Melrose, the noted talent scout, record producer, and A&R man for the RCA/Victor and Bluebird record labels, to record White.  White recorded two blues for Melrose, including “Shake ‘Em On Down.”  This selection eventually sold an impressive 16,000 copies.  Unfortunately, White had shot a man in Mississippi prior to the recording session, and though he was on parole at the time of the recording session, he was sent to the Mississippi State Penitentiary, known as Parchman Farm, in 1937 to begin his incarceration. 

In 1939 while in Parchman Farm, White was visited by the illustrious musicologists and folklorists Alan Lomax and John Lomax, and this stopover resulted in White recording two songs for them.  The reason for Alan Lomax and John Lomax stopping at Parchman Farm was to record other prisoners for the Library Of Congress. 

While White was in prison, Big Bill Broonzy recorded a blues entitled “New Shake ‘Em On Down”, a song that was a hit for the bluesman, and directly attributable to the success of White’s earlier recording.

White was released from prison in 1940, and immediately returned to Chicago to undertake a recording session, with the result being the 12 blues laid-down for Lester Melrose that were released on both the Okeh and Vocalion labels.  The noted bluesman Washboard Sam supported White on these cuts, and many believe that these blues represent the finest of White’s work.  The themes that White touched upon included strong reflections of being in prison, loneliness, Southern Jim Crow justice, and the independence he felt while hoboing on the rails.  This work, in many ways, shaped his performing inventory for the rest of his career; the recordings were that profound.

But again, like before, WW II stunted his blues career, and White served a stint in the Navy.  White then made Memphis his home base, where his younger cousin, B.B. King, came to stay with him.  B.B. was on the way up, but White remained at a dead end musically.  At this point, White was working in a Memphis factory to make ends meet. 

However, the 1960s would prove kind to White.  Like many pre-war bluesmen such as Mississippi John Hurt, Son House, and Skip James, White was found anew during the 1960s blues revival.  He was to be finally acknowledged for his powerful slide guitar skills, robust vocals, and real-world inspired blues themes.  It must also be noted that in 1961 a young Bob Dylan recorded White’s “Fixin’ To Die Blues” as part of his 1961 debut album.  Also, in 1963, two rabid blues fans from California recorded White at the top of his game.  White’ performances during the blues revival period showed the world that he was not some old relic; no, he was vital, strong, and had much to offer to an adoring blues audience. 

In 1965, the famed roots music label, Arhoolie Records, released two compilations of White’s Blues entitled Sky Songs Vol. 1 and Sky Songs Vol. 2.  The title is in reference to White uncanny ability to create blues songs seemingly out of the air.  The recordings somewhat meandered in a musical center, but they represented the White folks would experience from him in performance.  Many of the tunes are quite length.  But, White was in-demand on the college and coffee house performing circuit, and his career was moving forward.              

In 1966, White played the renowned Newport Folk Festival, followed by a 1967 European tour.  Now, there was momentum to White’s musical career, and for the most part of the next decade, he was kept busy on the festival circuit.  He did record a collection in 1973 that was both a critical and fan success entitled Big Daddy.  Both his guitar proficiencies and his vocals were as dynamic as ever.

However, just as things were rolling for White, he succumbed to cancer in 1977 in Memphis at the age of 70.

In 2011, White was honored with a Mississippi Blues Marker in Houston, Mississippi.  White was inducted into The Blues Hall Of Fame in 1990, and in 2012, The Recording Academy included White’s “Fixin’ To Die Blues” to its catalog of Grammy Hall Of Fame Award receivers.  Lastly, in homage to White, The Bukka White Blues Festival is held annual in Aberdeen, Mississippi. 

Below is a recommended CD of Bukka White’s blues that provides an ideal introduction to his potent and personal music.   These cuts are from the 1937-1940 period.

The Complete Bukka White – (Columbia/Legacy CK 52782)

Song Titles

• Pinebluff, Arkansas
• Shake ‘Em On Down
• Black Train Blues
• Strange Place Blues
• When Can I Change My Clothes?
• Sleepy Man Blues
• Parchman Farm Blues
• Good Gin Blues
• High Fever Blues
• District Attorney Blues
• Fixin’ To Die Blues
• Aberdeen Mississippi Blues
• Bukka’s Jitterbug Swing
• Special Streamline