Creator Record
Metadata
Name |
Thomas, James "Son" |
Notes |
James "Son" Thomas was born in 1926 in Eden, Mississippi. Thomas is widely celebrated as a major figure of the Delta Blues musical tradition, but he is also an important folk artist. Most of his childhood was spent frequenting "jook" joints, where he befriended older musicians such as Sonny Boy Williamson and Elmore James. At the age of ten, an uncle introduced Thomas to the guitar and taught him how to use clay dug from the Yazoo River to hand-build small sculptures. Birds, snakes, squirrels, and fish have appeared in his art, as well as other elements of his life in Mississippi. Thomas raised ten children with his wife on a very meager income. He often worked odd jobs, including that of a gravedigger from 1961-1971. Among Thomas' best-known works are his unfired clay skulls that feature human teeth sourced from his local dentist. As a young boy, Thomas created his first skull sculpture as a prank to scare his grandfather. To date, the largest solo exhibition devoted to Thomas' art took place in 2015 at the New York University 80WSE Gallery. The show was critically acclaimed internationally. In 1982 Thomas' work was also part of an important touring exhibition, Black Folk Art in America:1930-1980, which originated at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington D.C. A number of films have captured his tremendous spirit, most notably the 1969 documentary Sonny Ford: Delta Artist, directed by folklorist William Ferris, who is largely credited with 'discovering' Thomas' art. He passed away from emphysema and a stroke in June 1993. |
Nationality |
American |
Occupation |
Gravedigger, Delta blues musician, sculptor, sharecropper |
