About
Delta blues guitarist who helped develop the Mississippi blues sound with songs like "Shake 'em on Down."
Before Fame
He started playing guitar at age nine and recorded his first album in 1930, alternating between country blues and gospel.
Trivia
With music alone not yet a lucrative career, he took odd jobs to make ends meet for much of the 1930s: he was a pitcher in the Negro Leagues and briefly a prizefighter.
Family Life
He was born on farm near Houston, Mississippi, his father John White was a railroad man, with Bukka's music sometimes imitating the rhythmic train knocks and melodic whistles.
Associated With
John Lee Hooker was another well-known Mississippi blues guitarist.
