Skip James Blues Trail Marker Dedicated
By Jason Patterson - Yazoo Herald - September 2008
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Jimmy "Duck" Holmes performs Skip James
songs
in front of the Mississippi Blues Trail
Marker bearing James' name following
the dedication of the marker in Bentonia.
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There are a number of people around the world who
probably couldn’t find Bentonia on a map, yet they have a vivid picture of the
place in their minds. They feel intimately connected with the town because of
the Bentonia Blues, a unique style of music embraced by blues fans worldwide.
In 1967 one of those fans was none other than British music legend Eric
Clapton, who had recorded Bentonia native Skip James' "I'm So Glad"
with Cream. Clapton was considered by many to be the hottest guitar player
around and had sold countless albums, but he still seemed in awe of one of his
musical heroes when he met Skip James in New York City. Dick Waterman, the late
James' former manager, recalled that meeting Thursday during a dedication of a
Mississippi Blues Trail historic marker in James' honor.
"Eric was terribly nervous," Waterman said.
"He was absolutely transfixed to be in the presence of one of his all-time
icons. There was a guitar in the room and Eric refused to play in the presence
of Skip James. Skip took the guitar, looked at Eric and said, 'Alright white
boy, this is how the song goes."'
Waterman remembered James as a talented musician who was
extremely intelligent, but also aloof. "
A misconception about bluesmen is that they don't read,
they don't write, they're poor and they were lucky enough to learn a chord or
two and then got lucky again and made a record," Waterman said. "I
want to tell you that Skip James was very different from that. He was a very
literate man. His handwriting was beautiful."
Waterman said James wasn't always an easy man to get
along with, however.
 |
Dick Waterman, Skip James' former manager,
holds a
photograph of James performing live
for the first time in about 30 years during a
comeback performance in the 60s. "This man was
stepping out of the
unknown," he said. "He took
his guitar and I wanted to capture the
moment."
|
"He was a proud man. He was very vain, and he had a
tremendous ego," he said. "He didn't have a lot of friends and he
didn't suffer fools very well. If you were stupid around Skip James, he was
going to tell you that you were being stupid. He had a strong mind and was an
independent thinker. He didn't make friends easily because he didn't want
friends. He was a strong-minded individual."
Waterman said James never exhibited any false modesty
about his music either. "He had great pride in his ability," he said.
"He was good and he knew he was good. He didn't mind
telling you he was good."
Waterman another thing James was always proud of was his
origins.
"He was proud to be from Mississippi. The state had its problems and he knew it,
but wherever he traveled he was always proud to say he was from
Mississippi."
Jimmy "Duck" Holmes, who is considered by many
to be the last living musician to play the authentic Bentonia Blues, said Skip
James created a different style of music.
"Bentonia offers something to the world that is
unique," Holmes said. "You can thank Skip James for that."
Holmes said the thing that made musicians like James and
Bentonia bluesman Jack Owens great was that it came from their hearts.
"Most of the music the old guys played was about
things they experienced," Holmes said. "That's why there's something
missing from some of the newer blues musicians even though they can really play
their guitars. It's got to come from inside."
Nehemiah "Skip" James (1902-1969) was raised on
the Woodbine Plantation in Bentonia. He learned to play guitar and piano at a
young age.
James recorded during the 1930s before disappearing from
the music scene entirely for three decades. He made a successful comeback in
1964 and performed until his death in 1969.
Tanja Smith, director of the Convention and Visitor's
Bureau, said the crowd that attended Thursday's dedication was larger than
expected. The Skip James marker joins
one dedicated to the Blue Front Cafe as the second Mississippi Blues Trail
Marker in Bentonia. The Mississippi Blues Trail will feature over 120 historic markers
and interpretive sites upon completion and is expected to be a significant
tourism destination.
Van Foster, District 1 supervisor, said he is pleased to
see that James' legacy will endure.
"We will always be proud of what the blues means to
Bentonia, to Yazoo County and to Mississippi," Foster said.
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