Rube Lacy

Rubin "Rube" Lacy (or Lacey) (January 2, 1901 – November 14, 1969) was an American country blues musician, who played guitar and was a singer and songwriter.

Lacy was born in Pelahatchie, Mississippi, United States, and learned to play the guitar in his teens from an older performer, George Hendrix. Working out of the Jackson area in the Mississippi Delta, he became one of the state's most popular blues singers. His bottleneck style inspired that of the better-known performer Son House. In 1927, he recorded four songs for Columbia Records in Memphis, Tennessee, though none were released, and the masters do not survive.

In 1928, Lacy recorded two songs, "Mississippi Jail House Groan" and "Ham Hound Crave", for Paramount Records, which constitute his recorded legacy. Four years later he became a minister. He was later found living in Lancaster, California, by the blues researcher David Evans, who recorded him with his congregation. He died there on November 14, 1969.

Birth and Death Data: Born January 2, 1901 (Pelahatchie), Died November 14, 1969 (Lancaster)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1927

Roles Represented in DAHR: guitar, vocalist

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Columbia W145347 10-in. 12/9/1927 Black dog blues Rube Lacy Male vocal solo ("blues singer"), with guitar instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Columbia W145348 10-in. 12/9/1927 Long lonesome blues Rube Lacy Male vocal solo ("blues singer"), with guitar instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Columbia W145349 10-in. 12/9/1927 Railroad blues Rube Lacy Male vocal solo ("blues singer"), with guitar instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Columbia W145350 10-in. 12/9/1927 Red River blues Rube Lacy Male vocal solo ("blues singer"), with guitar instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Lacy, Rube," accessed March 28, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/110401.

Lacy, Rube. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved March 28, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/110401.

"Lacy, Rube." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 28 March 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/110401

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