Henry “Ragtime Texas” Thomas?

 

Henry “Ragtime Texas” Thomas was an early twentieth century blues musician who recorded some sides in the late twenties. Virtually nothing is known about his life. What makes  him unique is that he played the quills or panpipes in a rack around his neck while he sang and played the guitar. This is incredibly difficult to do. Trust me, I tried it. His music was a big influence on performers like Taj Mahal, the Lovin’ Spoonful and Canned Heat. In fact, Canned Heat ripped off his quill solo on “Bull Doze Blues” and used it on their 1968 hit “Going Up The Country”. This video featues a three second clip of what may be Henry Thomas and does a great job of investigating the possibilities. Worth checking out.