Map

Main Entrance NMA History Stats Lyrics Discography Roots Touring Media a surprise! Links Hospitality FAQ's Common Threads Album Reviews About
GROTTO MAP


Community



Check out our Frappr!



Contribute




NMA YouTube Video
Loading...
Going Down South...
the Hill Country Blues


More than half of the songs covered by the North Mississippi Allstars were originally written by the bluesmen living (and farming) on a stretch of land known as the Hill Country. The Hill Country Blues is rooted in a mode that differs slightly from traditional and widely familiar blues forms or Country Western, and it is recognizable as an entity itself when analyzing its structure.
However, to say that the Allstars simply cover these songs would be demeaning to the immense creativity they fostered throughout several years of music making. Many blues pieces have been covered countless times in numerous recordings over generations. Amazingly, the Allstars take the basic structure of the Hill Country and make it their own. They add harmonies, guitar lines, picking styles, drumming, and chord progressions that emanate influences they grasped while growing up. These influences stemming from rock, punk, psychedelic, jazz, and even gospel are the creative additions that liven the music and bring new originality to venerable songs.
"I'm goin' with you, babe,
I don't care where you go."

This section is a study on the main influence embedded in the NMA’s music, the Hill Country Blues, as well as the band’s individual style.


History of the Hill Country Blues

Chord Structure

History of Fat Possum

The Memphis Influence

Luther's Guitar Style

The Dickinsons as Producers

Tabs

Road Trip

Gospel Touch

Music Industry Guide from ASCAP



photos courtesy of the Dickinson family


Luther talks (and sings) about the music:



Quick Hits

NMA Updates
About Grotto
NMA History
Band Stats
Lyrics
Tabs
Discography
Tour Dates
Set Lists
Media

Links
About the Music
FAQ and Gear
Album Reviews
Recommendations
Promo Material
Radio Requests
Fan Photos
Awards/Charts




Official Folk