Blues man Burnside plays HUB

For those who think authentic blues has died, watching a live performance by R.L. Burnside may just make you see the error of your ways.

Heralded as one of the last true delta blues men, Burnside will play at 10 p.m. tomorrow with the T-Model Ford Band in the HUB Cellart. Area blues enthusiasts say they are looking forward to the performance.

"A lot of the blues being played these days sounds like beer commercial blues," said Josh Ferko, manager of Arboria Records, 119 E. Beaver Ave. "But R.L. is the last of the real Mississippi blues men."

Ferko, who has made two trips to Mississippi to see Burnside in his own element, said nothing compares to an R.L. show.

"He doesn't cater to the audience," he said. "He makes you accept him on his own terms."

Perhaps the uncompromising nature of Burnside's approach is due to his age and experience. Burnside, now in his 70s, has been playing the blues in and around Holly Springs and Oxford, Miss. almost all his life.

Born in Oxford in 1926, Burnside learned his craft alongside long-time friend and neighbor Mississippi Fred McDowell. But, unlike McDowell who received wide-spread attention during the blues revival of the '60s, Burnside was relatively unknown to those outside the Holly Springs area until recent years.

Recorded by musicologist George Mitchell in 1967, Burnside's music didn't reach national audiences until he began recording for Fat Possum Records.

In 1991 the label released Bad Luck City by R.L. Burnside and The Sound Machine. The follow-up, Too Bad Jim, produced by noted music critic Robert Palmer, was heralded as a blues masterpiece.

The record showed off Burnside's renowned rhythmic abilities as well as the powerful style of slide guitar that he learned from McDowell.

A farmer and fisherman for most of his life, Burnside was unable to play the large blues festivals throughout the country and in Europe because of the traveling costs. However, since the release of Too Bad Jim, Burnside has been able to venture further away from the Mississippi juke joints, touring America and playing in Europe several times.

Since signing with Fat Possum, Burnside has also released several albums such as Mr. Wizard and A Ass Pocket Of Whiskey that showcase his ability to create raw, deeply rhythmic, back-porch blues on record as well as on stage.

And, though Burnside may be at his best when playing a juke joint in the hill country of Mississippi, according to Ferko, his live show doesn't depend on geography.

"No matter where you see him, R.L. is still R.L.," Ferko said. "It's raw, ass-kicking Mississippi blues."