Major Works
- My Black Name A-Ringin’ (1969)
- Sound Machine Groove (1980) re-released 1997
- Mississippi Hill Country Blues
- R. L. Burnside Plays and Sings the Mississippi Delta Blues Swingmaster (1980)
- Deep Blues Atlantic/Anxious Records (1992)
- Bad Luck City (1993)
- Too Bad Jim (1994)
- A Ass Pocket o’ Whiskey (1996)
- Acoustic Stories (1988/1997)
- Mr. Wizard (1997)
- Mississippi Blues (1997)
- Sound Machine Groove (1997)
- Rollin Tumbling (1998)
- Come On In (1998)
- My Name A-Ringing (1999)
- Wish I Was In Heaven Sitting Down (2000)
- Hill Country Blues (2001)
- Well Well Well (2001)
- Burnside on Burnside (2001)
R. L. Burnside: A Biography
by Monica Owens (SHS)
Monica Owens (SHS Researcher))
R.L. Burnside was born near Oxford, Mississippi, on November 23, 1926 . He spent most of his life in Holly Springs, Mississippi, mostly living in the country and doing farm work. His main influences were Fred McDowell, Muddy Waters, Lightning Hopkins, and John Lee Hooker. Burnside began singing and playing the guitar in the 1950s at local juke joints, dances, and parties. In the 1950s, he spent a number of years out of music seeking better economic opportunities in Tunica, Mississippi, over in the Delta and then in Chicago and Memphis. When doing farm work, he performed blues after work on the weekends ( “R.L. Burnside” Roadhouse blues).
In 1967, George Mitchell recorded Burnside and the songs were on the Arhoolie label compilation album. They were country blues that led Burnside to tour in 1971. He played as a solo artist for many years. He continued to tour in 1980’s. In 1992, he appeared in the documentary Deep Blues. He then released the album Bad Luck City in 1993. His band included most of his family. His wife sang with him and his eight sons (in all he is the father of fourteen children) played with him, enabled the family to hold a young crowd, which included white children. There were always a few aspiring guitarists watching Burnside and learning musical ideas (“R.L. Burnside” Roadhouse Blues ).
Burnside has recorded albums for Fat Possum label. Two are called Too Bad Jim and The Wizard. Burnside’s country blues creates a unique sound that new generations of blues-rock lovers like. Burnside still tours and is raising grandsons to take his place. ( “R.L. Burnside” Roadhouse Blues). According to Fat Possum’s web site, “he is the last genuine performer of raw Mississippi hill country sound, as well as the most cutting edge crossover artist the blues has had in the past 30 years. His new record Wish I Was In Heaven Sitting Down proves it. His album Wish I Was In Heaven Sitting Down is the accumulation of 73 years of hard-earned experience and some of his best singing. Sometimes on his songs he shouts, sometimes he hollers, and sometimes he jokes. His work has been appreciated more and more as he has been the winner of W. C. Handy Blues Awards in 2000 and two in 2002.
R. L. Burnside, one of the last, great Mississippi bluesmen, whose raw, country blues was discovered late in his life, has died. He was 78. September 1, 2005
Read his obituary at The Guardian
Timeline
- 1926– Born in Oxford, Mississippi
- 1959– lived in Chicago and Memphis, then he returned to Mississippi to again work the farms and raise a family
- 1967– first recording with George Mitchell as an Arhoolie compilation
- 1970’s to 80’s– played with a family band consisting of sons Joseph and Daniel as well as son-in-law Calvin Jackson, known as the Sound Machine. A local favorite but R.L. and the Sound Machine were barely known outside of North Mississippi.
- Early 1990’s– documentary film based on Robert Palmer’s book Deep Blues featured R.L. as one of its highlights
- 1993– released the album Bad Luck City
- 1994- released the album Too Bad Jim brought Burnside to the attention of post-punk musician Jon Spencer. R.L. toured extensively with the Jon Spencer, Blues Explosion led to the collaboration between the two, the result was A Pocket of Whiskey became a teenage party record and somewhat of an unlikely champion in the rock world.
- 1996- released the album A Pocket of Whiskey
- 1997- released the albums Acoustic Stories, Mississippi Blues, Mr. Wizard, and Sound Machine Groove and Mr. Wizard, which was Fat Possum’s debut record on their new distribution label Epitaph. The album featured touring mates, grandson Cedric Burnside and adopted son Kenny Brown.
- 1998- released the albums Rolling Tumbling and Come On In,, which pitted his blues against modern electronics; one of its tracks, “It’s Bad You Know,” became a radio hit and was
featured in The Sopranos and on its soundtrack. - 2000 – W. C. Handy Blues Award for Traditional Male Artist of the Year
- 2001- released the albums Hill Country Blues, Burnside on Burnside, Well Well Well, Wish and I Was In Heaven Sitting Down
- 2002 – Traditional Male Artist of the Year (W. C. Handy Blues Award winner)
– Traditional Album of the Year (W. C. Handy Blues Award winner)
Related Websites
- R. L. Burnside: Conversation with a Bluesman. NPR Music (2001)
- Information can be found about R. L. Burnside’s CD releases 2002 – Traditional Male Artist of the Year (W. C. Handy Blues Award winner)
– Traditional Album of the Year (W. C. Handy Blues Award winner) - ONE BAD-ASS BLUES MAN: An Interview with R L Burnside by Ed Mabe.
- Interview by Lou Friedman from Blues Access.
- Photographs of Burnside in Concert.
- IMDb page for R. L. Burnside with the soundtracks he worked on
- Blues Singer R.L Burnside Dies; Music Reflected Own Hard Life. The Washington Post. (2005)
Bibliography
- Cox, James L. The Mississippi Almanac. United States: 2001. 14,15.
- “ R.L. Burnside” Internet. April 2002. SHS. < http:/www.ionet.net/ tslade/burnside.htm>