Blind Lemon Jefferson Birthplace — Coutchman, Texas

Blind Lemon Jefferson was born around 1893 in the Coutchman community of Freestone County, Texas, and became the first great solo blues recording star — his Paramount recordings from 1926 to 1929 sold in enormous quantities and established the commercial viability of the blues as a recorded form. Jefferson was blind from birth or shortly after and supported himself as an itinerant musician, playing on the streets of Wortham and later Dallas before his discovery. His guitar playing was technically extraordinary — fast, intricate, improvisationally complex — and his falsetto vocals had a peculiar, haunting quality unlike anything else in early blues.

Jefferson's influence on subsequent generations was enormous and direct: Lead Belly knew him personally and was influenced by him; T-Bone Walker guided him as a child for tips; B.B. King cited him as a foundational influence. 'Black Snake Moan,' 'Matchbox Blues,' 'See That My Grave Is Kept Clean' (covered by Bob Dylan on his debut album), and 'Easy Rider Blues' are among his most recorded songs. He died in Chicago in December 1929, found frozen on a street — the circumstances of his death have never been fully established.

Freestone County in east-central Texas has a historical marker at the site of Jefferson's birth near Wortham. He is buried at Wortham Negro Cemetery (now Blind Lemon Memorial Cemetery), which has been restored and maintained as a heritage site. The grave and memorial are in Wortham, accessible off Highway 14 in Freestone County.