Blues enthusiasts know that Nehemiah "Skip" James wrote the most moving song on the broken
heart, "
Devil Got My Woman." But Skip James records have been lost. His subtle
guitar playing, often slow and muted, combined with the complicated "skips" in
beat and notes may have powered the more popular blues artists, whose songs are often more simple.
"Skip" James was born in 1902 on a plantation in Bentonia, Mississippi and died in 1969. He could not live off being a blues artist, so he worked as a farmer for much of his life. His other songs include: "I'm So Glad," "Lazy Bones," "Hardtime Killling Floor Blues," "If You Haven't Got Any Hay, Get On."
"Devil Got My Woman," is featured on the Ghost World soundtrack.
Listen to Skip James, play it to your lost lover, and weep.