In 1964, three young blues fans discovered Mississippi blues musician Son House living anonymously in Rochester. They convinced him to resume playing and recording, establishing a solid link between Rochester and the original Delta blues.
When local musician Gordon Munding started a blues jam at Beale Street Cafe in 2006, he named it in honor of Son House. To this day, Munding attributes some of the longevity and success of the night to the name.
“People say, ‘Hmmm, Son House Blues Night, that sounds interesting,’ and they check it out,” he said.
It started out as a weekly acoustic jam, but evolved over the years into a monthly electric show. In 2012, Munding passed the hosting baton to Genesee Johnny. When Beale Street in the South Wedge closed the following year, the jam moved temporarily to Sticky Lips on Culver Road, then back to a reopened Beale Street.
In 2017, Genesee Johnny approached Record Archive about hosting the event. Owner Alayna Alderman welcomed the idea, and it found its permanent home there. Son House Blues Night takes place at 6 p.m. the last Thursday of the month, and it is always free.
At Record Archive, Johnny worked to expand the palate of the evening, bringing in musicians who did not necessarily play a strict interpretation of the blues; musicians who were ‘blues-adjacent.’ He also worked to increase the diversity of both the musicians and the crowd to create a space which felt welcoming to everyone.
“Johnny was fabulous to work with — he organized all the featured artists which included local, regional and national acts,” Alderman said. “Son House night is an homage to the rich history of one of the icons of Blues. Although he only lived here for 23 years of his life, his impression and legacy lives on. We take special ownership of his contributions here and revel in the fact that our own local legend Joe Beard played with him.”
Rochester does have a reputation as a great music city, but with much of that connected to the Eastman School of Music, people are sometimes more likely to think of classical and jazz as “Rochester music” (plus Lou Gramm, of course). People don’t necessarily think of Rochester as a blues city.
“Although Rochester has been known for many ‘white collar businesses’ (Kodak, Xerox, Bausch & Lomb), it also has a deep blue collar and impoverished community,” said Alderman. “Blues and roots music started in these communities and (they) are the backbone of our city and our country.”
When Genesee Johnny decided to take a break from hosting this fall, Dan Lopata and Rob Huff, longtime members of the house band (bass and drums, respectively) approached Son Henry, a blues musician who recently returned to his hometown of Rochester, to take up the baton. Johnny approved of the choice, and Son Henry first hosted the night in December.
Son Henry is well-qualified for the position, having spent more than 50 years playing the blues, beginning here in the 1970s. As an oil company geologist, he lived in such far-flung locations as Texas, Alaska and Scotland; playing the blues and absorbing musical influences in all of them. Since returning to Rochester, he has established himself as a regular on the music scene, playing all around the city, both solo and with his band.
“Blues is the root of all popular music,” Henry said.
He has recorded eight albums, including two in 2024. “Grace” was recorded with the Hungarian T Rogers Band. On the solo acoustic “Ballad Hunter,” Henry recorded two versions of most songs — one in a modern studio and one using the old wax cylinder recording method. While this provides an interesting contrast between recording methods, what comes through strongest is the quality of his songwriting. He also has a new record due out this month.
Son Henry and his band have many plans for moving Son House Blues Night forward. They intend to keep the standard structure of the house band opening the evening, then bringing in guest musicians followed by an invitational jam with local musicians. (It is not an open jam where just anyone can play — if you want that, Son Henry runs one every Sunday at Main Place Tavern). A full-scale celebration of Son House’s birthday is planned for Thursday, March 27.
Henry’s primary goal is strengthening the ties that already exist between blues players here to create what he calls “a joyful celebration of community.”
“Blues isn’t sad music,” he said. “It is joyous.” sonhenry.com
For a full listing of upcoming events, visit the Son House Club of Rochester NY or Record Archive.
G. Murray Thomas is a contributor to CITY.
This article appears in Dec 1-31, 2024.
