"Light From The Lighthouse" - Jake Leg Jug Band (10/04)

"Let Your Light Shine On Me" exemplifies the oral tradition of American gospel blues, passed down through train stops and church gatherings rather than sheet music stores. First recorded by The Wiseman Quartet in 1923, it became something of a hymn for the blind gospel singers of the time. Blind Willie Johnson's powerful 1929 New Orleans recording for Columbia Records transformed the song, featuring his signature chest voice and slide guitar work.

The song's journey continued through Ernest Phipps, Lead Belly, and later Lonnie Donegan. In 1958, the song took an fascinating turn when Lonnie Donegan, the "King of Skiffle," produced his memorable version on Sanctuary Records. This version, featuring Miki & Griff, transformed the gospel blues into the distinctive skiffle style that was revolutionizing British popular music at the time.

Donegan's adaptation demonstrates how these traditional songs could cross not just generations but genres and continents, finding new life in Britain's emerging skiffle scene. Like many of Donegan's interpretations of American folk and gospel music, it helped build a musical bridge between the American South's spiritual traditions and Britain's evolving pop music landscape, influencing a generation of musicians who would shape the British Invasion of the 1960s.