No other recorded performer other than Henry Thomas presents a clearer picture of what music sounded like in the American countryside in the latter 1800s. His repertoire included old ballads, popular songs old and new, pre-blues, religious compositions, square dance melodies, and more. His guitar rhythms are highly syncopated and highly infectious and his strong propulsive phrasing is as captivating as his rare added use of the charming rural quill pipes.