(1895-1976) Birthplace: Navasota Genre: Blues Influenced: A wide-ranging singer and the last of the great Texas country bluesmen.

Discovered by the larger world after Chris Strachwitz recorded him in 1960, Mance Lipscomb was a one-of-a-kind singer who knew and performed the whole of the traditional rural black music of East Texas. Equally at home with a gospel hymn, the blues, or a children's game song, his gentle manner and clear singing style brought him audience affection and a belated fame that he had never sought.

Born Bowdie Glen Lipscomb, the son of a former slave who was a professional fiddler, Mance Lipscomb changed his name in honor of an old friend named "Emancipation." Mance first learned to play the violin before taking up the guitar at the age of 11 to accompany his father. Until his discovery at the age of 65, Lipscomb had farmed nearly all his life near his birthplace of Navasota, performing at Saturday dances and family gatherings. He had a wife, Elnora, one son named Mance, Jr., and three adopted children to support with his farming efforts.

Soon after his first recordings were released by Chris Strachwitz's Arhoolie label, Mance Lipscomb was in much demand among folk revivalists as an authentic folk singer of the old school. He appeared at numerous festivals and on college campuses, sharing anecdotes of his life and his philosophical insights as well as his wealth of some 350 songs. At club appearances he often shared the stage with young musicians eager to learn from him. Arhoolie brought out many recordings during Lipscomb's lifetime, and his music continues to be in demand two decades after his death in 1976.