NORTH MISS COUNTRY PICNIC

2nd annual North Mississippi Hill Country Picnic
Extended to Two Days, June 29-30, 2007

North Mississippi Allstars

Last July’s inaugural North Mississippi Hill Country Picnic was a resounding success, drawing over 1,000 people to a rural site in Potts Camp in Marshall County. The festival demonstrated the vitality of the contemporary blues scene in North Mississippi, and in light of the tremendous public response this year’s event has been extended to two days. Potts Camp is located off of Route 78, about halfway between Memphis and Tupelo.

The festival celebrates the legacies of departed North Mississippi blues legends including R.L. Burnside, Junior Kimbrough, and Othar Turner, and the festival will once again feature many of their children and grandchildren. These include Duwayne Burnside, and his band the Mississippi Mafia; the Burnside Exploration, featuring Cedric and Garry Burnside; David Kimbrough; the Rising Star Drum & Fife Band, led by Othar Turner’s 17-year-old granddaughter Sharde Thomas.

Other “second generation” acts returning to the event include Kenny Brown, R.L. Burnside’s longtime guitarist and “adopted son;” and the Reverend John Wilkins, son of pre-WWII recording artist Robert Wilkins, whose song “Prodigal Son” was covered by the Rolling Stones. Also returning to the festival are soul-blues legend Bobby Rush, Jimbo Mathus and Knockdown South, T-Model Ford, Cary Hudson with Blue Mountain, Jocco Rushing with Fried Chicken & Gasoline, and John Barnett.

Additions this year include the North Mississippi Allstars, whose leader Luther Dickinson grew up listening to R.L. Burnside and attending Othar Turner’s fife and drum picnics; the Oxford-based Taylor Grocery Band, which features Junior Kimbrough’s son Kinney Kimbrough on drums and vocals; and Alvin Youngblood Hart, Danny Lancaster, and Olga Wilhelmine Mathus.

2007 MUSIC LINEUP

Friday June 29
3:00-3:30 John Barnett
3:40-4:10 Olga Wilhelmine Mathus
4:25-5:10 Danny Lancaster
5:25-6:10 Jocco Rushing with Fried Chicken & Gasoline
6:25-7:10 Sunset Jam
7:25-8:25 Alvin Youngblood Hart
8:40-9:40 T-Model Ford
9:55-11:00 Bobby Rush

Saturday June 30
12:00-12:30 Blue Mountain
12:35-1:35 Taylor Grocery Band
1:50-2:50 John Wilkins
3:00-4:00 Dave Kimbrough
4:15-5:15 Burnside Exploration
5:30-6:00 Rising Star Fife and Drum Band
6:15-7:15 Jimbo Mathus W/Knockdown South
7:30-8:30 Duwayne Burnside W/MS Mafia
8:45-9:45 North MS Allstars
10:00-11:00 Hill Country Jam W/Kenny Brown