Blind Lemon Jefferson (c.1893-1929) was an American blues singer and guitarist, one of the first major stars of recorded country blues. Born in Texas, he became a crucial figure in the development of commercial blues recording.

His recordings include Black Snake Moan, Match Box Blues and many other sides that helped shape the blues repertory. In the Pristine catalogue he appears through early blues reissues.

Jefferson’s singing is high, piercing and intensely personal, with a guitar style that can seem rhythmically free yet sharply controlled. His performances have a strange, unforgettable loneliness.

He influenced generations of blues musicians. Blind Lemon Jefferson’s records sound like messages sent from a road with no lamps and no need of them.