Paramount Record Label for Jefferson's "Black Horse Blues"
Paramount Advertisement for "Rabbit Foot Blues"
Texas State Historical Marker (dedicated in 1967)
Headstone (dedicated in 1997)
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A Blues Legend is Born...
Blues legend “Blind” Lemon Jefferson’s story is one worth repeating. He began life in rural, turn-of-the-century South with three major strikes against him: poor, blind, and black. It turns out, however, that these disadvantages were the key ingredients necessary in contributing to the development of the American artform simply known as the “blues.”
Born around 1897, Jefferson got his start playing his guitar on the streets of Downtown Wortham, and at area garden parties and picnics. In the early 1920’s, Jefferson traveled to Dallas, where he met and befriended the twelve-string guitar master Huddie “Leadbelly” Ledbetter. The two began traveling together and helped establish the blues scene in Dallas’ Deep Ellum district.
While in Dallas, Jefferson was discovered and began making records for Paramount Records in Chicago. Between 1925 and 1929, Jefferson made over 80 recordings and became the first commercially successful male black artist in American history. Some of his notable recordings are “Black Snake Moan,” “Boll Weevil Blues,” “Matchbox Blues,” and the song that would ironically become his trademark, “See That My Grave is Kept Clean.”
Jefferson was found dead on the streets of Chicago during the winter of 1929, and is buried in the Wortham Black
Cemetery (recently renamed the "Blind" Lemon Jefferson Cemetery
by the Wortham Black Cemetery Association). The cemetery is open
year-round and attracts several visitors who wish to pay their respects to
Jefferson and perhaps leave a guitar pick or clean the gravesite.
A Heritage Restored...
For many years, people in this area simply forgot the sacrifices and contributions Lemon Jefferson made to the origin of the Blues. A simple concrete block and state historical marker were all that identified Jefferson’s gravesite. In 1997 all that changed when a group of blues enthusiasts known as Blues-L (for Legends) began a campaign to place a marble headstone at Jefferson’s grave. That same year, Wortham held its first “Blind” Lemon Jefferson Blues Festival. Organized by the Wortham Area Chamber of Commerce (a non-profit organization), this first event re-opened a link to our cultural heritage that had been lost for so long.
In what became known as the Wortham Blues Festival, the event grew into a much-anticipated annual showcase of sizzling Texas Blues, and
for the first nine years was held on the very streets Lemon honed his
unique guitar style. In 2006, the 10th Annual Wortham Blues Festival
was held at the nearby Freestone
County Raceway, which has made its own mark on Wortham history as
being one of the premiere motorcross tracks in the nation.
For more information about
"Blind" Lemon Jefferson's life and music, check out The Handbook
of Texas Online by clicking here.
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