Pure ‘Lectricity

North Mississippi Allstars Still Got Plenty of Blues to Go Around

originally published April 30, 2008

A strong yen for the trancelike Hill Country blues of Mississippi, a musical lineage including the producer of the Stones’ Sticky Fingers, and the instrumental presence of an electrified washboard; these are three qualities that defined the North Mississippi Allstars upon the band’s formation and initial run.

Now, 12 years into things, the trio led by brothers Cody and Luther Dickinson is still tight with the blues, still claims Jim Dickinson as family, and on occasion, still breaks out the crazyfied amped-up washboard. However, the group has established itself as a near-cottage industry in the last couple of years through a series of side projects and guest spots.

The project that most reflects the Allstars’ juke joint and back porch pickin’ roots is the Hill Country Revue. Featuring Allstars drummer Cody Dickinson and bassist Chris Chew, alongside guitarists/singers Garry Burnside and Kirk Smithhart and harp player Dan Coburn, the group proudly carries the banner of gritty, hard-stomping blues personified by influential Hill Country bluesmen Junior Kimbrough and Garry’s father, R.L. Burnside.

“They’ve just been ripping it up all over the place,” says Allstars vocalist/guitarist Luther Dickinson of the Hill Country Revue. “Cody and Chris have been doing a lot of the Hill Country Revue shows and it’s really picked up steam. Also, it’s another tie that connects our family with the Burnside family. Duwayne Burnside played with us in the North Mississippi Allstars for sometime, too. Garry is one of R.L.’s youngest sons and just does an incredible job with the Revue and on his own.”

Luther himself has also been moonlighting as of late. The Allstars’ vocalist/guitarist recently accepted the Black Crowes’ offer to join up in place of guitarist Paul Stacey. With a background steeped in blues-informed rock and some stellar slide guitar skills that aren’t always pushed to the forefront of the Allstars’ sound, Dickinson would appear to be the perfect foil to the Crowes’ lead guitar slinger Rich Robinson. Luther has already appeared on the Crowes’ latest release, the surprisingly solid Warpaint, and will accompany the band on a series of live dates throughout the year.

“The kind of stuff they play is just my kind of music,” says Luther of the Crowes’ catalog. “It’s that bluesy, nasty Southern rock kind of stuff. I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to play on that record and to go out on the road with those guys.”

Yet another side project that Luther confirms helped himself, brother Cody and bassist Chew to progress as both studio musicians and accompanists was sitting in behind veteran singer/songwriter John Hiatt on Hiatt’s standout album Master of Disaster. That record was something of a departure for both Hiatt and the Allstars. It showed Hiatt creating a rare mesh of his charging Memphis-infused blues-rock sound and the from-the-gut story-song approach that had defined releases like 2003’s Beneath This Gruff Exterior. And, as with any memorable Dylan, Van Morrison or, yes, John Hiatt record, the man was fortunate enough to have a sharper-than-average crew of musicians, as well as a master boardman in Jim Dickinson, backing him up.

“John and our dad used to play together in Ry Cooder’s band years back and have been friends ever since,” says Luther. “The way we made that record, all the voices were recorded live in the room. John is a real professional and a gentleman; he taught us all his music by hand. It was a great experience to learn from someone like that. He actually has a new record coming out that I got to play on. We recorded it at his house and he produced and engineered it. Man, he’s something else. I don’t know when it’s coming out, but it should be released soon.”

Of course, the North Mississippi Allstars proper remain the Dickinson Brothers’ and Chew’s primary focus. Though the bandmembers may spread themselves over a multitude of other projects, the Allstars most always sound fresher, rejuvenated, and dare say, raunchier when coming back together after participating in other such projects. Case in point is the NMAs' latest release, Hernando.

Again produced by big daddy Dickinson and named for the brothers’ hometown, the record casts aside some of the pop sheen and polish that dotted 2003’s Polaris. Instead, it’s a sweaty, shifty-eyed dose of guitar-driven Southern rock accentuated by Jim Dickinson’s live, one-take production. The Memphis-informed “Blow Out” suggests the Allstars also know their rockabilly, while the chugging “Eaglebird” sounds like it was conjured up from the sessions for Z.Z. Top’s blues-fuse classic Tres Hombres.

“One thing that Dad, as a producer, encourages is doing lots of demos before you get in there to record an album,” says Luther. “So we demoed up about 22 songs in advance, which saved a lot of time once we got in there to put it together. We just wanted to make a no-nonsense, electric Southern rock kinda record. You know, something like Z.Z. Top or The Allman Brothers would’ve cut back in the day.”

Michael Andrews

WHO: North Mississippi Allstars
WHEN: Friday, May 2
WHERE: Georgia Theatre
HOW MUCH: $15