In 1963 a single postcard addressed only to Bukka White, Old Blues Singer, care of General Delivery, Aberdeen, Mississippi, found its way to a Memphis factory worker and relaunched one of the most important careers in Delta blues. This episode traces the life of Booker T. Washington White, from a farm south of Houston, Mississippi, through his 1930 discovery by talent scout Ralph Lembo, his Victor Records sessions split between secular blues and gospel released under the name Washington White, and his 1937 signature track Shake 'Em On Down recorded with producer Lester Melrose in Chicago.

We follow White into Parchman Farm, where a shooting brought a life sentence just as his hit was exploding, and where he negotiated hard with folklorist John Lomax over recording for the Library of Congress. Released after two years through the influence o ...