Question 1

True or false: Son House played a steel-bodied National resonator guitar for most of his career.

Accepted Answer

True. He favored National resonator guitars, especially a steel tricone, for their loud, cutting tone perfect for unamplified Delta blues.

Question 2

True or false: Son House recorded his first songs in 1930 for the Paramount label.

Accepted Answer

True. He made his debut recordings for Paramount in 1930, including 'My Black Mama,' which became a Delta blues classic.

Question 3

True or false: Son House disappeared from music for over 20 years before being rediscovered in the 1960s.

Accepted Answer

True. After recording in 1941–42, he quit music and worked odd jobs. Blues revivalists found him in 1964, leading to a comeback.

Question 4

True or false: Son House was a key figure in the Chicago blues scene after moving north in the 1940s.

Accepted Answer

False. He never fully embraced Chicago blues; he remained a Delta-style player and lived mostly in Rochester, NY, not Chicago's electric scene.

Question 5

True or false: Son House was a Baptist preacher before becoming a blues musician.

Accepted Answer

True. He started as a preacher in his youth, but turned to the blues after being drawn to guitar and the juke joint life.

Question 6

True or false: Son House taught Robert Johnson how to play guitar in the Mississippi Delta.

Accepted Answer

False. No, Son House was an influence, but he didn't teach Johnson. Johnson likely learned from others, though House inspired his style.

Question 7

True or false: Son House's guitar style heavily influenced the British Invasion bands of the 1960s.

Accepted Answer

False. He influenced American blues-rock, but British Invasion bands like The Beatles were more inspired by earlier rock and R&B, not House directly.

Question 8

True or false: Son House's first name 'Son' was a nickname given by his grandmother.

Accepted Answer

False. His real name was Eddie James House Jr. 'Son' was a common nickname for a boy in the South, not from his grandmother specifically.

Son House Trivia Questions