Devil Got My Woman

Skip James recorded Devil Got My Woman for Paramount in Grafton Wisconsin in February 1931, singing and accompanying himself on guitar. The session captured his high vocal, minor-key guitar style, and spare Bentonia approach at the start of his recording career. Released by Paramount in 1931, the record became one of James defining prewar sides. Its stark mood and unusual tuning set it apart from much commercial blues recording of the period. Devil Got My Woman became a core Skip James composition after his 1960s rediscovery and influenced later blues and folk performers. The song remains one of the best known examples of the Bentonia blues style.