North Mississippi Allstars: Chris Robinson (vocals, guitar); Jim Dickinson (vocals, Hammond b-3 organ, keyboards); Chris Chew (vocals, bass guitar); R.L. Burnside (vocals); Cody Burnside (rap vocals); Rising Star Fife & Drum Band (various instruments); Garry Burnside (guitar); Jojo Hermann (Hammond b-3 organ, keyboards); Duwayne Burnside (drums). Recording information: Bonnaroo, Manchester, Tennessee (06/11/2004). Recorded live at the 2004 Bonnaroo Festival, this North Mississippi Allstars record is a family affair. The concert is an endless parade of both blood relatives and community-related musicians, all of whom hail from the same area of Mississippi. The family lines are represented by the Dickinsons (Allstars Luther and Cody, and their father Jim), the Burnsides (Duwayne, Garry, Cody, and R.L.), and Othar Turner's descendents (Turner's Rising Star Fife & Drum Band made some of the earliest and most compelling music to emerge from the region). There are also a few "extended family" members thrown in for good measure. The set kicks off with a version of Fred McDowell's "Shake 'Em on Down," proving this crew knows their history. Modern blues legend R.L. Burnside guests on a handful of his own tunes, including "Jumper on the Line" and "Snake Drive," while his grandson Cody raps on the hard-driving "Be So Glad." For all of the music's deep blues roots, though, the Allstars play with the technical flash of a rock band, lending sophistication to the proceedings.
Shake 'Em On Down Po Black Maddie / Skinny Woman Jumper On The Line Bad Bad Pain Down In Mississippi Never In All My Days Boomer's Story Psychedelic Sex Machine Shimmy She Wobble / Station Blues Friend Of Mine Be So Glad Snake Drive Goin' Home Part Two Going Down South