James Thomas, known as James "Son" Thomas, and born on October 14, 1926, in Eden, Mississippi, was an American Delta blues musician and sculptor. He began his musical journey as a self-taught guitarist, learning from older blues musicians such as Elmore Davis and Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup while working in the fields. His breakthrough came in the 1970s when he appeared in films produced by the Center for Southern Folklore. In the same decade, Thomas recorded "Once I Had a Car" with Eddie Cusic, featured on the compilation album Mississippi Delta & South Tennessee Blues (1977). Throughout his career, he released several albums including Son Down on the Delta (1982) and Highway 61 Blues (1983). He died on June 26, 1993, in Greenville, Mississippi, and was buried in Bogue Cemetery in Leland.
![Hard Times (Blues Reference) [recorded in France 1986]](https://cdn-images.dzcdn.net/images/cover/22ab35b540f65d1d24e124455b523fa7/120x120-000000-80-0-0.jpg)
