RL Burnside - RIP

[AD]

Heard that RL Burnside died this morning in Memphis.

That's a big loss.

AD

[Esau]

Oh man thats terrible news.Very big loss indeed.

He'll be missed around this household. :crazy:

[StoneMtn]

That is terrible! I would have loved a chance to see him perform in my lifetime.

If not for him, I doubt the North Mississippi All Stars would be half the band they are today.

RIP RL

[Esau]

StoneMtn,If I ever (or you ever for that matter) cross paths with Tim V ,have to ask him if he still has the DATs from the RL show we recorded in Toronto (94 or 95).I think I have a cassette copy around here somewhere,I'd have to dig though & get my laptop replaced/fixed to do a transfer.

Hands down one of the best shows next to Alvin Youngblood Hart I ever saw at the Horseshoe.

[Jaimoe]

This is a kick in the face. I'm shocked and really sad.

I love R.L. and North Mississippi Delta blues. It's the best, purest and grittiest brand of blues and along with the late Junior Kimbrough, R.L. was the best playing and recording this style of music.

I was in Mississippi recently and if you listen closely, you can hear the music flowing from the mile after mile of plantation fields, the Mississippi delta and rural backroads. This is a terrible loss not in so much that R.L. is irreplaceable ( which he is ), but that blues is a dying music form. For every old bluesman to die, no young person will be there to take their place.

R.I.P. R.L. Burnside.

I hope that wherever you are, you're sitting on a porch with Junior Kimbrough and Son House, kicking out some delta blues.

Edited September 1, 2005 by Guest

[Jaimoe]

I'm going to plug my guitar into my Fender Twin right now and rip into some Burnside-influenced blues.

[StoneMtn]

StoneMtn,If I ever (or you ever for that matter) cross paths with Tim V ,have to ask him if he still has the DATs from the RL show we recorded in Toronto (94 or 95).

Thanks for the tip, Esau. I'll also mention it to Ed the next time I see him; which tends to happen about twice a year. (He's back in Canada.) He'd probably make the effort to bug Tim about that.

Hey, if you need some laptop help (fixing or buying a new one) you should contact my bro in Toronto who owns a little computer company www.redbell.ca . He'd never steer ya wrong; and the main reason he's in the business is to give better value for people's money. He is also a veritable guru when it comes to providing support. (If you plan to call him, I'd be happy to put in a word for you, to make sure you're treated extra special.)

[Esau]

"Wish I Was in Heaven Sitting Down"

Thats what I'm throwing on next,such an amazing album & in light of this news,a chilling & sad album to boot.

:crazy:

[Esau]

Thanks for the tip, Esau. I'll also mention it to Ed the next time I see him; which tends to happen about twice a year. (He's back in Canada.) He'd probably make the effort to bug Tim about that.

Hey, if you need some laptop help (fixing or buying a new one) you should contact my bro in Toronto who owns a little computer company www.redbell.ca . He'd never steer ya wrong; and the main reason he's in the business is to give better value for people's money. He is also a veritable guru when it comes to providing support. (If you plan to call him, I'd be happy to put in a word for you, to make sure you're treated extra special.)

If you do cross path with Ed pass along my greetings (he'll know me as Greg,not Esau).

Thanks for the laptop info,but currently I have a 5 year warranty with Toshiba & have to take it to their "approved" repairshop(s) to keep it valid.But,if I do require a new one or if he's one of those shops,I'll be sure to let you know ahead of time.Currently,I'm just awaiting some very late tax returns to clear then I plan on getting the thing fixed or replaced,since the girl who ruined it now claims it was working when I left her place,getting the dollars from her may take awhile...

[Jaimoe]

We'd be amiss to not show a picture of R.L. in action, for the few who care. Notice the vintage Danelectro he's playing:

[StoneMtn]

Will do, my friend. (I've spoken with Ed about you in the past. He fondly recalls crazy-roadtripping with you guys.)

Under the circumstances, I also must listen to "Wish I Was in Heaven Sitting Down"; immediately. I'm downloading it to my office computer (from a source I am not permitted share, unfortunately) right now.

[StoneMtn]

We'd be amiss to not show a picture of R.L. in action, for the few who care. Notice the vintage Danelectro he's playing:

Sexy!

[bONES]

dang!

that is sad

i was fortunate enough to catch him during an afternoon performance last summer at the Wasaga Beach Bluesfest.

there were a couple dozen people there at most

i remember dancing away on the sand in my bare feet, smile on my face, thinking this guy is awesome!

RIP and thanks for that memorable day last July

[Deeps]

I saw RL on stage with the North Mississippi Allstars at Bonnaroo '04.

It wasn't until I watched the Roo `04 DVD that I realised that NMA were so conneccted to RL and the Delta blues heritage.

It was in the top 3 performances I saw at the fest and in hindsight it was a beautiful tribute from the youth to their mentors.

RIP RL

[NewRider]

Last night tributes went out as Widespread covered "Snake Drive" in Colorado and Gov't Mule did the same in Berlin.

[Jaimoe]

It wasn't until I watched the Roo `04 DVD that I realised that NMA were so conneccted to RL and the Delta blues heritage.

In fact, their first and best album, Shake Hands With Shorty, consists completely of covers by North Mississippi delta bluesmen including R.L., Junior Kimbrough and Mississippi Fred McDowell. And, the Allstars versions of these guys songs are almost identicle in amplification and arrangement.

[Large Marge]

Delta bluesman R L Burnside dies

Mississippi bluesman R L Burnside, a guitarist who only found fame late in life, has died, aged 78.

Born in Delta town of Harmontown, he worked most of his life as a sharecropper and fisherman, only taking up music professionally when he was 65.

Mississippi Fred McDowell taught him to play in Chicago in the 1940s, and he performed in local bars for decades.

After signing to Fat Possum records in 1991, he recorded a dozen albums and toured worldwide.

Matthew Johnson, owner of the record label that made Burnside famous, said he played guitar "just 'cause he wanted to.

"He never really wanted a career, never said he did. We just sort of gave him one."

Burnside had been in declining health since heart surgery in 1999, and died in hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

'Between him and the Lord'

After growing up in the Mississippi Delta, Burnside moved north to Chicago in the 1940s, but came back south after his father and two brothers were killed in the city.

He returned to a country living, and served six months in jail after shooting a man Burnside said was trying to turn him out of his home.

"It was between him and the Lord, him dyin'," Burnside remarked in a 2002 New Yorker article.

"I just shot him in the head."

Younger following

He first recorded in the late 1960s, and his sparse, one-chord blues style was documented by the folklorist George Mitchell. After playing in bars for decades, it was only when he became the first act signed to Fat Possum records in 1991 that Burnside achieved a wider fame.

In less than a decade he recorded a dozen albums, including "Bad Luck City" and "Too Bad Jim". His final CD, "A Bothered Mind", was released last year.

He toured with a trio comprising his grandson Cedric on drums, and an "adopted" son, Kenny Brown, on guitar.

Burnside was popular with a number of younger acts, including the Beastie Boys and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion.

Burnside and Spencer's band recorded the album "A Ass Pocket o' Whiskey" in a few days in an old log cabin, achieving a sound described by one observer as "Bo Diddley backed by the Stooges".

Some of his songs were remixed for labels such as Los Angeles' Bong Load records, which first released Beck.

Burnside is survived by his wife Alice Mae and numerous children.

Story from BBC NEWS:

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