House’s recording session ran over a few days and saw the studio set up like a small club with an invited audience. I remember John (Hammond) running around crazed, as was Son’s manager, Dick Waterman (a man to whom Son owed everything). Al Wilson of Canned Heat was sat alongside Son, and once the recording started occasionally played harp and guitar. He appeared to have a decidedly calming influence on House, who throughout would turn to him to discuss various things. Once things had begun Son was quite nervous but ever so slowly, as time wore on, the emotional intensity of his performance transported one back to the Mississippi Delta c. 1930 when Son, as a young man, ruled the roost along with Delta legend Charlie Patton. And today, many years later, the images are frozen pieces of time, forever stored in my memory.

Excerpt from a piece by Lawrence Cohn who was present at the session.

Recording: April 1965 at Columbia’s studios, New York City
Production: John Hammond and Frank Driggs.