About

Guitarist R.L. Burnside became a pivotal figure on the contemporary blues scene during the early 1990s after more than 40 years as a musician. His albums on the Fat Possum label, including Bad Luck City in 1991 and Too Bad Jim in 1994, created a raw, edgy blues that purists loved. “Both recordings also adequately capture the feeling of what it must be like to be in Junior Kimbrough’s juke joint,” wrote Richard Skelly of All Music Guide, “where both men have been playing this kind of raw, unadulterated blues for over 30 years.” – Encyoclopedia 

The album “features R.L. Burnside fronting a small juke joint combo, tearing through some greasy blues…. Burnside sounds more relaxed and the band steps back from the spotlight slightly, letting the guitarist burn brightly on his own, showcasing his deep blues roots.” – AllMusic

About R.L Burnside:

North Mississippi guitarist R.L. Burnside was one of the paragons of state-of-the-art Delta juke joint blues. The guitarist, singer and songwriter was born November 23, 1926 in Oxford, MS, and made his home in Holly Springs, in the hill country above the Delta. He lived most of his life in the Mississippi hill country, which, unlike the Delta region, consists mainly of a lot of small farms. He learned his music from his neighbor, Fred McDowell, and the highly rhythmic style that Burnside plays is evident in McDowell’s recording as well. Despite the otherworldly country-blues sounds put down by Burnside and his family band, known as the Sound Machine, his other influences are surprisingly contemporary: Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker and Lightnin’ Hopkins. But Burnside’s music is pure country Delta juke joint blues, heavily rhythm-oriented and played with a slide. - Fat Possum

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