T-Model Ford was born at some point in the 1920s. There have been differing opinions about how old he actually is. Nearing his 60s, he found himself in a heated argument with his wife over a guitar and amplifier that she had given him. His truck driving job didn't yield much money and things were fiscally tight in the family, so he was beside himself that she had taken on the task of purchasing this expensive gift- especially since he couldn't play a guitar.
A week later, she was headed out the door with all of their children and he found himself all alone with this guitar. He sat down to play it and found it was out of tune. Not knowing how to properly tune a guitar, he decided to tune it the way that he wanted it to sound. Listening to Muddy Waters songs and attempting to reproduce them was how he started to learn to play and soon enough he was belting out tunes of his own. At some point in the mid-1990s, he got a knock on his door from Matt Johnson of Fat Possum Records, who was interested in recording him even though he had no clue that he was any good. Ten years later, T-Model has found himself touring through the US and Europe playing the blues as only he can deliver.
The Austin Chronicle has touted T-Model Ford as having the perfect resume for a blues musician. He was severely beaten by his father as a child and lost a testicle as a result of his punishment. He killed a man in a bar brawl in self-defense and was sentenced 10 years in prison but only served 2 years on a chain gang and has the scars to prove it. He has had numerous wives and has sired 26 children. At the time of this album's release, he was living in Greenville, Mississippi in the most crack-filled, gangster-riddled part of town and played in the streets until the sun came up every night. All of these experiences have helped build his credentials as the current lineage holder of the blues musical experience. 
Listen to Pee-Wee Get My Gun.
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