Dr. Isaiah Ross

Bluesman Ross recorded for Sam Phillips' Sun Records, as well as innumerable other labels throughout his career. He sings in a wildly rough, soulful voice while accompanying himself on guitar and harmonica. His playing is raw and intense: a thumping, rolling, modal boogie not unlike that of John Lee Hooker. Ross was unique in his own way for acting as a proto one-man band in the 1950s, after he had already recorded with a full band. His style lives on in the work of artists like R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough.