James "Son" Thomas was a Blues singer from the Mississippi Delta. Unlike B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Elmore James, and other successful black musicians from Mississippi, Son remained an obscure figure on the national Blues scene until his death in June 1993. A master of "traditional blues," he was very popular locally, and played at all the major Mississippi Blues festivals, as well as small clubs and private parties for white folks. Until he was badly burned in a fire, Son had lived for many years in an old dilapidated shotgun house in Leland. When he was not on the road performing, Son often whiled away hot summer days by playing the Blues on his porch for friends and neighbors.