Garry & Cedric Burnside
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Courtesy of the Memphis FlyerChanging of the GuardAs old heroes pass, a new generation of Mississippi musicians keeps the Hill Country sound alive.
BY ANDRIA LISLE Remove a musical patriarch from his homegrown scene and what happens? In the case of the north Mississippi hill country, the death of beloved bluesman R.L. Burnside has spurred his offspring into action. "After a number of false starts, the North Mississippi blues scene is finally starting to coalesce a bit," says music writer Scott Barretta, who moved to Oxford in 1999. "In one sense, it's disappointing the R.L. is no longer part of the action, but it's also exciting to see all the new bands that have gotten their act together," Barretta says. |
Burnside Exploration, formed by R.L.'s son Garry Burnside and his grandson
Cedric Burnside, has two new albums on the way. Duwayne Burnside,
another son, is touring with his group the Mississippi Mafia on the strength
of his debut studio release, Under Pressure. "We've been into blues all our life," Garry Burnside says. "Whatever we do is gonna be considered 'hill country' because this is where we're from. But we're the new generation. We like rap and all kinds of music." Last March, Burnside Exploration entered into Jimbo Mathus' Delta Recording Studio in Clarksdale, Mississippi to record an album for B.C. Records, the label behind Under Pressure. That record, says Cedric, should be released next month. "Most of those songs are originals," Cedric says. "I write about my life, my kids, and everyday things. I try to stick to the truth." Just 27 years old, he recalls growing up without a radio or a TV. "My granddad used to play out on the porch, and we'd have house parties every weekend. Johnny Woods would come over and blow harmonica, and he'd drink two or three gallons of corn liquor. We just stomped up dirt."
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A few years later, Cedric explains, the family purchased a radio and the
younger generation of Burnsides was exposed to hip-hop artists like LL Cool
J and Run-D.M.C. -- artists who influenced his younger brother Cody,
an aspiring rapper. Despite the death of his grandfather, who passed away in September, Cedric maintains that 2005 has been a good year. He was cast in Craig Brewer's upcoming flick Black Snake Moan, and in October, Burnside Exploration opened for perennial jam-band faves Widespread Panic at Mud Island. More recently, they've performed at festivals in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, and for sold-out crowds at the Buccaneer in Midtown Memphis. "We have to live," Cedric says, "and we have to take care of our family. The best way I know to make money is by making music." Duwayne Burnside, meanwhile, has eschewed his hill-country roots for a more modern soul-blues sound. Nevertheless, Duwayne's Albert King derived guitar technique, which comes through loud and clear on songs like R.L.'s "Bad Luck City," is well worth checking out.
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