Houston Stackhouse, born Houston Goff on a Wesson plantation on September 28, 1910, became a central presence in Delta blues history despite rarely gaining major fame himself. Raised in Wesson and later Crystal Springs after taking his stepfather James Wade Stackhouse's surname, he was influenced by family members and local musicians including Lonnie Chatmon and Tommy Johnson, learned violin, harmonica, and mandolin before settling on guitar, and often played in string bands for both black and white dances. Over several decades in Mississippi and Arkansas blues circles, he worked with Robert Johnson, Tommy Johnson, Robert Nighthawk, Sonny Boy Williamson No. 2, and many other musicians, taught guitar to Robert Nighthawk, Jimmy Rogers, and Sammy Lawhorn, and was among the earliest Delta blues guitarists to perform on live radio broadcasts. He moved to Helena, Arkansas, in the 1940s to join Robert Nighthawk on KFFA radio and also played on King Biscuit Time with Sonny Boy Williamson No. 2, while supporting himself through farm, timber, river, factory, and construction work and continuing to perform at night. After moving to Memphis in 1970 to live and perform with Joe Willie Wilkins, he expanded from juke joints and house parties to festivals and college concerts, often appearing solo and bringing the music of Nighthawk, Robert Johnson, and Tommy Johnson to new audiences in the U.S. and in Europe in 1976. Though quiet and unassuming and known mostly as a sideman, mentor, and influence, with only nine released recordings during his lifetime, he later gained a growing reputation through posthumous albums, documentary appearances, and recognition as a valued source on blues history. He performed little after returning to Crystal Springs in the late 1970s but did appear at the first two Mississippi Delta Blues Festivals; he died in Helena, Arkansas, on September 23, 1980, and is buried in Crystal Springs.