Mississippi Solo

Welcome to Mississippi Heat’s 13th album, just in time for the venerable Chicago blues band to celebrate its 30th Anniversary! Mississippi Heat stands as one of the longest running bands in Chicago, as well as a launching pad for many blues players who’ve gone on to successful solo careers. MH’s alumni reads like a Who’s Who of Chicago Blues past and present: Billy Flynn, Lurrie Bell, Carl Weathersby, Kenny “Beedy Eyes” Smith, Deitra Farr, Bob Stroger, Calvin “Fuzz” Jones, James Wheeler, Barrelhouse Chuck, Jon McDonald, Robert Covington, Bob Carter and more. Madeleine stands as a fitting tribute to a remarkably unique and enduring band now entering its third decade; listen and enjoy the blues as only Mississippi Heat can play them!

An artist steeped in Southern roots music of all sorts, Jimbo Mathus first earned attention as one of the founders of the Squirrel Nut Zippers, who became an unlikely success when their skewed take on vintage hot jazz, "Hell," became a modern rock hit in 1996…

2007 GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING BEST TRADITIONAL BLUES ALBUM OF THE YEAR HISTORY IN THE MAKING Once in a lifetime you may experience a brief moment when the stars align and something truly extraordinary happens. This was the case in October 2004, when four of the greatest living blues legends were assembled in Dallas, Texas for one incomparable night of music. At the time they ranged in age from 89 to 94 and all had received the National Endowment for the Arts Heritage Fellowship Award, the highest honor in the USA for traditional arts. These musicians have devoted their entire life to playing the blues, and staging such an epic event was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Once reunited, the old magic reemerged. It was if they were long lost school buddies.

A lot has happened in Kenny Brown’s life since this record, his first solo release, was issued in 1996. Almost two decades later, he’s traveled the world, most notably as a sideman with R.L. Burnside, until R.L.’s passing in 2005, but many times since as a well-respected solo performer in his own right. This first solo release showcases not only the origins of his musical education, tracks learned from his neighbor and mentor, Joe Callicott, growing up in Nesbit, Mississippi, but also others he’s apprenticed with and learned more from over the years, such as R.L. and the late Junior Kimbrough.
This CD represents a very important trend that needs to grow within the blues community. That is the involvement of the listener by time-tested methods mixed with personal conviction and powerful control over the material, the arrangements and the instrumentation…