Bukka White
Booker T. Washington "Bukka" White (1909-1977) - was a powerful singer and bottleneck guitar player from Mississippi. Bukka first recorded between 1930 and 1940, but didn't become well-known until being "rediscovered" during the 1960s blues/folk revival. Many of his live performances have been preserved on video - allowing one to study his playing in detail!
Bukka played bottleneck guitar -- mainly in Open D (Open E?), Crossnote Tuning, and Open G. Crossnote tuning is the same as Open D, but with the 3rd string tuned to an F instead of an F#. This tuning allowed Bukka to play a powerful rhythm to go along with his great bottleneck runs (see tunes like "Jitterbug Swing" and "Aberdeen Mississippi Blues").
My Favorite Bukka White Songs
(1) Special Streamline (Open D)
(2) Parchman's Farm (Crossnote)
(3) Fixin' To Die (Open G)
(4) Jitterbug Swing (Crossnote)
(5) Aberdeen Mississippi Blues (Crossnote)
(6) Poor Boy (Open G)
(7) Sic Em' Dogs On (Crossnote)
(8) Shake em' On Down
(9) Panama Limited
(10) When Can I Change My Clothes? (Standard Tuning)