Akin Babatunde as Blind Lemon Jefferson with
Alisa Peoples Yarbrough and Lillias White
(photo credit: Alan Govenar)

The blues singer “Blind Lemon Jefferson” is no longer a household name but his legacy lives on. Such disparate artists as Huddie Ledbetter, known as Lead Belly, and the late playwright August Wilson have credited Jefferson with having had a profound influence on them. The Beatles recorded his “Matchbox Blues.” The York Theatre Company is hosting a new foot-tapping, soul-stirring musical called Blind Lemon Blues before it travels to Europe for a nine-city tour under the auspices of the World Music Theatre Festival. The cast is headed by Akin Babatunde in the title role and Tony Award winner Lillias White.

Born in Texas in 1893, Jefferson was either born blind or lost his sight at an early age. By 1917 he had moved to Dallas and was performing as a street entertainer at the corner of Elm Street and Central Avenue when he was discovered by a Paramount Records talent scout. Between 1926 and 1929, he recorded 80 songs and became the biggest selling blues singer in America. He froze to death in a December 1929 snowstorm after a recording session in Chicago when he missed his pick up by his chauffeur.

The new show, created by folklorist Alan Govenar and actor/director Babatunde, is set in 1948 at last recording session of Lead Belly (played by Cavin Yarbrough) who is known to have recorded his personal impressions of Blind Lemon at that time. BlindLemon Blues is a concert, a biography and a history of the blues all rolled into one inspiring evening. It includes 60 songs recorded by the singer, traditionals as well as those he wrote. The musical arrangements created by Babatunde in association with Cavin and Alisa Peoples Yarbrough combine elements of traditional blues, gospel, rhythm and blues, soul, doo-wop and rap in order to bring to life the legacy of this artist.

Yarbrough’s personable Lead Belly narrates the story, telling of the life of his friend and mentor. When Babatunde appears as Blind Lemon, he is wearing dark glasses and carries both a guitar and a cane. The other performers help him negotiate the stage. Jefferson’s keen wit and deeply resonant voice are always in evidence in Babatunde’s performance. Russell Parkman’s backstage scrim of the open road is often made transparent so that members of the company not on stage can be seen dancing or singing behind it. Mikes and suitcases are given multiple functions as the show rolls along. Tommy Bourgeois’ minimal costuming allows the continuous concert not to be interrupted.

Cavin Yarbrough as Lead Belly and Akin Babatunde as Blind Lemon Jefferson
(photo credit: Alan Govenar)
Aside from Babatunde and Yarbrough, who accompany themselves and the others on guitars, the ensemble is made up of White, Benita Arterberry, Timothy Parham and Alisa Peoples Yarbrough. The company is completed by the off stage presence of the phenomenal Sam Swank on the guitar and occasionally accompanied by Alisa Peoples Yarbrough on the piano. Babatunde has staged all of the 68 musical numbers with choreography and movement that includes tap dancing, soft shoe and pantomime. The double entendres come fast and furious as they sing about love, death, travel, race, betrayal, religion and family. Among the numbers are new songs written in the blues style by Govenar and Babatunde to bridge gaps or fill in biographical information.

All of the performers have solos in which they get their star turns or perform songs of Blind Lemon’s contemporaries. Among these are Alisa Peoples Yarbrough’s rendition of Lillian Miller’s “Indiana Harbor,” Arterberry singing Hattie Hudson’s “Doggone My Good Luck Soul,” and White presenting both Bessie Tucker’s ribald “Butcher Shop Blues” as well as Lillian Glinn singing her own “Cravin’ A Man Blues” staged with a long black boa. The three women dance to “Deep Ellum Blues,” a tribute to the Dallas neighborhood.

Babatunde milks all the puns out of Jefferson’s “Peach Orchard Mama” (“You shouldn’t let nobody pick your fruit but me”) and shifts to a more spiritual side with his “See That My Grave Is Kept Clean.” As the narrator, Yarbrough sings the traditional “Midnight Special,” and later Lead Belly’s “Governor Neff Blues,” the song that obtained his parole from Texas’ Chief of State. In the second half of the evening Yarbrough impersonates Blind Willie Johnson, a one time competitor of Jefferson, and he and Babatunde have a musical duel with songs of both artists. Jefferson’s “Black Snake Dream Blues” becomes a nightmare with White using a black scarf to create the visuals.

Blind Lemon Blues is a magnificent musical triple-threat in telling the story of the blues through the life and career of Lemon Jefferson. With its guitarists and six singers, it offers a wide variety of voices, styles and rhythms. It also brings back to life a nearly forgotten era in America’s musical culture.

Blind Lemon Blues (through February 25)

York Theatre at St. Peter’s, 54^th Street between Lexington and Third Avenues, in Manhattan