Traditional heart, Memphis soul.
Muirsical Conversation With Mississippi MacDonald
Muirsical Conversation With Mississippi MacDonald
That British bluesman Mississippi MacDonald has always had Memphis on his mind (and in his musical heart and soul), is underlined in fine, Soul City fashion on I Got What You Need, his third album for APM Records.
The album also adds a flourish to what has been a great year for the singer-guitarist, highlights of which include a deserved double-win at the UK Blues Awards (Traditional Blues Artist Of The Year and Acoustic Act Of The Year) and joining the guest ranks of the Take Me To The River All Stars, an ensemble who celebrate the musical heritage of Memphis and New Orleans.
Mississippi MacDonald sat in with FabricationsHQ towards the end of the year to take stock of, and talk about, what has been a great and fulfilling 2024 for the musician.
Topics discussed included a detailed insight into the making of I Got What You Need, his time in, and love for, Memphis (and related passion for southern U.S. blues and soul), performing with the Take Me To The River All Stars, and his albums with acclaimed American blues harmonica player, Steve Bailey.
The album also adds a flourish to what has been a great year for the singer-guitarist, highlights of which include a deserved double-win at the UK Blues Awards (Traditional Blues Artist Of The Year and Acoustic Act Of The Year) and joining the guest ranks of the Take Me To The River All Stars, an ensemble who celebrate the musical heritage of Memphis and New Orleans.
Mississippi MacDonald sat in with FabricationsHQ towards the end of the year to take stock of, and talk about, what has been a great and fulfilling 2024 for the musician.
Topics discussed included a detailed insight into the making of I Got What You Need, his time in, and love for, Memphis (and related passion for southern U.S. blues and soul), performing with the Take Me To The River All Stars, and his albums with acclaimed American blues harmonica player, Steve Bailey.
Ross Muir: I’d like to jump back around five years and three albums ago to This Is How It Is, because that album seemed to sow the seeds for I Got What You Need.
This Is How It Is plays as a homage to Memphis and that Soul City sound, where a lot of your influences and musical loves come from.
Now, with I Got What You Need, we have the full realisation of a bona fide Memphis album, in every way, including recording sessions in two of its iconic studios.
Mississippi MacDonald: Well, here’s something you wouldn’t have known about This Is How It Is but I’ll tell you now… I cut that record because I was obsessed, and still am, with the sound of the Hi Rhythm Section and Royal Studios, in Memphis.
The drums on it were recorded to be very much of that sound; it’s also a very dry, spartan sounding record, with horns on every track. And the cover is just a black and white photo of me, like a seventies Otis Clay record.
So, yes, it was a homage to that Memphis sound, and quite unlike anything else that I had done before.
I got a lot out of it as well, including a bunch of recent collaborations with Memphis or Memphis related artists, including Benny Turner on the single Steppin' In, and Vaneese Thomas on the re-recording of Blind Leading The Blind – her dad Rufus Thomas was effectively the King of Memphis music!
From there we get to the present day and I Got What You Need, which has two tracks that are collabs with John Ward of Ecko Records and Ecko Studios.
Ecko Records is fascinating because there is a whole genre of southern soul that’s hardly known at all in the UK, or Europe; it’s pretty much self-contained within the southern U.S. and really big with black American audiences.
And Ecko Records is not a historical artifact; it’s a living, surviving, thriving centre for that kind of music.
All kinds of fascinating and great artists pop up there – for example Ollie Hoskins, who sang with The Nightingales and who were on Stax Records. And then there's Denise LaSalle, who is probably better known over here.
Those two, and so many more, are all well worth looking into.
A couple of other thing I’ve been doing lately, and this brings us full circle, is I’ve recently completed three sessions at Royal Studios in Memphis with all of Hi Rhythm, with Royal owner and producer Boo Mitchell.
I’ve also become one of the Take Me To The River All Stars, which is another way of linking the past to the present, or the next generation of blues men and women.
In the summer we headlined the Red Rooster Festival in Suffolk, which was fantastic.
So many of those artists whose records I listened to – and still do, nearly every day – have become my friends and musical partners!
I Got What You Need is most definitely a Memphis record; one that, I think, shows that I’m a soul-blues artist, or soul influenced blues man, that kind of thing.
There’s certainly an evolution there, and that’s a wonderful thing, it really is.
This Is How It Is plays as a homage to Memphis and that Soul City sound, where a lot of your influences and musical loves come from.
Now, with I Got What You Need, we have the full realisation of a bona fide Memphis album, in every way, including recording sessions in two of its iconic studios.
Mississippi MacDonald: Well, here’s something you wouldn’t have known about This Is How It Is but I’ll tell you now… I cut that record because I was obsessed, and still am, with the sound of the Hi Rhythm Section and Royal Studios, in Memphis.
The drums on it were recorded to be very much of that sound; it’s also a very dry, spartan sounding record, with horns on every track. And the cover is just a black and white photo of me, like a seventies Otis Clay record.
So, yes, it was a homage to that Memphis sound, and quite unlike anything else that I had done before.
I got a lot out of it as well, including a bunch of recent collaborations with Memphis or Memphis related artists, including Benny Turner on the single Steppin' In, and Vaneese Thomas on the re-recording of Blind Leading The Blind – her dad Rufus Thomas was effectively the King of Memphis music!
From there we get to the present day and I Got What You Need, which has two tracks that are collabs with John Ward of Ecko Records and Ecko Studios.
Ecko Records is fascinating because there is a whole genre of southern soul that’s hardly known at all in the UK, or Europe; it’s pretty much self-contained within the southern U.S. and really big with black American audiences.
And Ecko Records is not a historical artifact; it’s a living, surviving, thriving centre for that kind of music.
All kinds of fascinating and great artists pop up there – for example Ollie Hoskins, who sang with The Nightingales and who were on Stax Records. And then there's Denise LaSalle, who is probably better known over here.
Those two, and so many more, are all well worth looking into.
A couple of other thing I’ve been doing lately, and this brings us full circle, is I’ve recently completed three sessions at Royal Studios in Memphis with all of Hi Rhythm, with Royal owner and producer Boo Mitchell.
I’ve also become one of the Take Me To The River All Stars, which is another way of linking the past to the present, or the next generation of blues men and women.
In the summer we headlined the Red Rooster Festival in Suffolk, which was fantastic.
So many of those artists whose records I listened to – and still do, nearly every day – have become my friends and musical partners!
I Got What You Need is most definitely a Memphis record; one that, I think, shows that I’m a soul-blues artist, or soul influenced blues man, that kind of thing.
There’s certainly an evolution there, and that’s a wonderful thing, it really is.
RM: Your mention of John Ward leads me to the perhaps obvious question, or point, that John clearly played a major part here, in terms of your collaboration, musically dovetailing partnership and, now, friendship.
MM: Exactly right. We’ve been writing together too, and that’s just awesome.
I genuinely feel at home in Memphis. Obviously, London and the UK is my actual home, but musically and spiritually that’s where I live; I love being there.
There’s something about the place that is truly magical, but it’s not perfect. It has an extraordinary history, not all of it great. It’s gritty, and there are parts of it that are very challenging for the people that live there, but in the end we’re talking about a patch of a few hundred square miles of America that has had a disproportionate impact on music, and culture, here in the UK.
All of us today, who are part of the thousands of blues or soul blues musicians who play or are learning to play, or take part in gigs and festivals across the country, have listened to, and learned from, music and musicians that come from Memphis and areas like Clarksdale, the Mississippi Delta, and Louisiana.
And then there’s the journey that takes you to those places. You hear a B.B. King record and you think well, who did he hear it from? Suddenly it’s who’s Rosetta Tharpe?, who’s Son House?
You start this journey, but it all comes from those places; it’s endlessly fascinating.
I love being a part of those places and I think, with this record, I’ve finally admitted just what an impact it’s had on my life!
RM: Absolutely. I Got What You Need is the zeitgeist of that original Memphis soul blues era transferred to the present day, showcasing what you, as a musician, are all about – what you love, what you are influenced by, what you are moved by.
MM: I’ve never really thought about it in those terms, but I guess so, yeah.
It definitely has all the things that I bring to my music, my bands, and my shows, encapsulated in one small disc! [laughs]
RM: To the degree that it could have been subtitled This is Mississippi MacDonald.
It also covers all the Memphis soul, blues and gospel bases, along with two cleverly conceived instrumentals that act as their own homages.
There are also a couple of well-chosen and great fitting covers, including We’re Gonna Make It.
In terms of its sound and arrangement, and your guitar play and tone, that could have been recorded back in 1965 when Little Milton recorded his version.
MM: Thank you, but really, I just play how I play! As we have spoken about before, I’m less interested in playing all the notes and more interested in how those great players of the past approached their playing.
I think it was Bobby Rush that said "what’s important is the space in between the notes." That’s so true.
The space has a rhythm, or a beat, of its own, which makes things so cool.
I think of a player like Albert King, who really only had five or six riffs, but it was the space he created and man, did he and his band deliver.
It's the economy of those notes and the story you tell, rather than how many notes you could play; that’s what appeals to me.
I guess part of it is the fingers, and part of it is the practice, but ever since I was a kid I’ve been trying to get to that sound, but you never quite get there! There’s always something you’re trying to say, or achieve.
RM: As regards the space between the notes adage, which is an absolute must for lyrical, six-string expression in blues or blues-soul, that’s showcased beutifully on piano, vocal and guitar gospel ballad Your Dream.
Your mid-song guitar remarks and solo are great examples of the space being as important as the notes.
MM: Thank you; I’m really pleased you took that from that song.
I wanted Your Dream to be really sparse, and mostly performed on piano. I’ve been learning keys for a while now, and I wrote that particular song on keys, but it’s Phil Dearing who plays the piano on the recording – he’s a much better player than I am.
There’s something about the intimacy and immediacy of that song, and its sparseness, that makes it so impactful. That’s its strength. It’s kind of like late sixties/ early seventies B.B. King, where you would sometimes see him playing with just his guitar and a piano backing him.
In fact I saw a piece of footage on Facebook just the other day where he was demonstrating to a School Of Music, or something like that, and it was exactly that – he just sat there and played, with that space and that sparseness.
You could load Your Dream up with a big production, and a bigger arrangement, all of that kind of thing, but the message and the cut-through would get lost. What you don’t do is as important as what you do do.
MM: Exactly right. We’ve been writing together too, and that’s just awesome.
I genuinely feel at home in Memphis. Obviously, London and the UK is my actual home, but musically and spiritually that’s where I live; I love being there.
There’s something about the place that is truly magical, but it’s not perfect. It has an extraordinary history, not all of it great. It’s gritty, and there are parts of it that are very challenging for the people that live there, but in the end we’re talking about a patch of a few hundred square miles of America that has had a disproportionate impact on music, and culture, here in the UK.
All of us today, who are part of the thousands of blues or soul blues musicians who play or are learning to play, or take part in gigs and festivals across the country, have listened to, and learned from, music and musicians that come from Memphis and areas like Clarksdale, the Mississippi Delta, and Louisiana.
And then there’s the journey that takes you to those places. You hear a B.B. King record and you think well, who did he hear it from? Suddenly it’s who’s Rosetta Tharpe?, who’s Son House?
You start this journey, but it all comes from those places; it’s endlessly fascinating.
I love being a part of those places and I think, with this record, I’ve finally admitted just what an impact it’s had on my life!
RM: Absolutely. I Got What You Need is the zeitgeist of that original Memphis soul blues era transferred to the present day, showcasing what you, as a musician, are all about – what you love, what you are influenced by, what you are moved by.
MM: I’ve never really thought about it in those terms, but I guess so, yeah.
It definitely has all the things that I bring to my music, my bands, and my shows, encapsulated in one small disc! [laughs]
RM: To the degree that it could have been subtitled This is Mississippi MacDonald.
It also covers all the Memphis soul, blues and gospel bases, along with two cleverly conceived instrumentals that act as their own homages.
There are also a couple of well-chosen and great fitting covers, including We’re Gonna Make It.
In terms of its sound and arrangement, and your guitar play and tone, that could have been recorded back in 1965 when Little Milton recorded his version.
MM: Thank you, but really, I just play how I play! As we have spoken about before, I’m less interested in playing all the notes and more interested in how those great players of the past approached their playing.
I think it was Bobby Rush that said "what’s important is the space in between the notes." That’s so true.
The space has a rhythm, or a beat, of its own, which makes things so cool.
I think of a player like Albert King, who really only had five or six riffs, but it was the space he created and man, did he and his band deliver.
It's the economy of those notes and the story you tell, rather than how many notes you could play; that’s what appeals to me.
I guess part of it is the fingers, and part of it is the practice, but ever since I was a kid I’ve been trying to get to that sound, but you never quite get there! There’s always something you’re trying to say, or achieve.
RM: As regards the space between the notes adage, which is an absolute must for lyrical, six-string expression in blues or blues-soul, that’s showcased beutifully on piano, vocal and guitar gospel ballad Your Dream.
Your mid-song guitar remarks and solo are great examples of the space being as important as the notes.
MM: Thank you; I’m really pleased you took that from that song.
I wanted Your Dream to be really sparse, and mostly performed on piano. I’ve been learning keys for a while now, and I wrote that particular song on keys, but it’s Phil Dearing who plays the piano on the recording – he’s a much better player than I am.
There’s something about the intimacy and immediacy of that song, and its sparseness, that makes it so impactful. That’s its strength. It’s kind of like late sixties/ early seventies B.B. King, where you would sometimes see him playing with just his guitar and a piano backing him.
In fact I saw a piece of footage on Facebook just the other day where he was demonstrating to a School Of Music, or something like that, and it was exactly that – he just sat there and played, with that space and that sparseness.
You could load Your Dream up with a big production, and a bigger arrangement, all of that kind of thing, but the message and the cut-through would get lost. What you don’t do is as important as what you do do.
RM: I’d also add that your vocal on Your Dream is very well phrased, perfectly complementing your lyrical guitar lines. In fact, I don’t think you have sung better than on this album.
You have clearly taken consideration into how you approached these songs vocally, and not just their arrangements or instrumentation.
MM: Thank you so much. I have to say that I have learned an enormous amount from being around the Hi Rhythm guys; they have really taken me under their wing.
A couple of months ago I was in a session in Memphis, where we cut a song written by Reverend Charles Hodges. He sat me down next to him at the piano, and we sat there for three or four hours; he would tell me what to do or what not to do, or "no, not like this, more like that!" [laughs].
Having that level of coaching, guidance and mentorship has been amazing.
To be fair I did say "look, don’t go easy on me; make this as hard as possible and don’t hold back" – and they didn’t! [laughs]
To go back to your point about vocals, I love singing – actually I like singing more than I like playing guitar! Back about ten years ago, I would never have though that would have been a thing, but it’s B.B. King again, isn’t it? He would sing, then Lucille would sing; then him again, then Lucille. Voice and guitar.
I’ve also been lucky to have had the time recently to invest in how to do it, along with the opportunity to work or write with all these great musicians.
Learning from the likes of Hi Rhythm and playing with the Take Me To The River All Stars means the world to me; it really does.
RM: I Got What You Need isn't all about the vocal numbers, however.
As mentioned earlier you also have a couple of cool little instrumentals on this album. 335 for example, is a great little shuffle nod to Freddie King.
MM: I’ve got a really cool Tobacco Sunburst Gibson 335, and was sitting in my chair one Sunday morning with it, in my dressing gown, and cut that as a demo right after coming up with the idea.
And the guitar part you hear? That's the part I cut in what was either the second or third take of the demo.
And, yeah, it’s definitely got that Freddie King thing going on! We do it in the live shows too, it’s a great, fun song to play.
RM: The funky Soul City One is another great little instrumental, one that, to my ears, nods to Stax Records and the Stax and Memphis sound.
MM: It’s actually Willie Mitchell, and his Hi Records label in Memphis.
The history of Stax Records and Hi Records is very much intertwined – Gee Whizz by Carla Thomas, for example, came out on Stax, but was recorded at Royal Studios, which was run by Willie Mitchell.
He was very instrumental in both that sound, as an arranger and as a producer, and the sound of Soul City One – particularly the riff where it goes up to the bridge; that’s Willie Mitchell I’m referring to.
I’ll let you in to a little secret here – one of the songs we cut on those Hi Rhythm sessions I mentioned earlier is Soul City One, but with Hi Rhythm and the horns. It will come out as Soul City Two.
If you liked Soul City One, wait 'til you hear this. Man, the horns on that are awesome!
RM: What’s evident through this conversation is that you are so enthused, and completely in your element, with all of this. You’re just having your best time…
MM: Who would want to do anything else? It’s all pretty cool!
RM: What’s also pretty cool is I Got What You Need signs off on what has been a great year for you.
Beyond what we’ve already touched on – Memphis, the album, sessions with Hi Rhythm, playing with the All Stars – there’s the acoustic album you released earlier this year and, more significantly, the British Blues Awards for Traditional Artist Of The Year and Acoustic Act Of The Year. Both are fully deserved.
MM: Thank you, Ross. That acoustic album, Call Me Mississippi, came from Phil Dearing and I performing a whole bunch of acoustic shows. We literally sat down one afternoon in the studio and played and recorded the set as we had been performing it.
The fans really liked that record, which is great, because we have more acoustic gigs coming up next year.
I really like that style of playing because you can’t hide behind anything! [laughs]
RM: Also, of course, you have to bring your A – for acoustic – game to command and retain the attention of your audience.
MM: That’s exactly it. You’re looking to create an atmosphere.
I think back to the solo acoustic set I did at the Oran Mor at the Glasgow Blues Rhythm and Rock Festival last year; when you have everyone listening, and focussing in on what you are doing, that’s really cool.
You’ll see the likes of Eric Bibb and Keb Mo, and guys like Catfish Keith – an extraordinary player – do that sort of thing amazingly well, but you don’t see it too often.
But I really do like performing with just an acoustic, or an electric, or whatever the instrument, because there is no room for mistakes. You’ve got to get it right!
RM: Jumping back to another of those great 2024 moments, and as you mentioned at the top of this conversation, you now play with the Take Me To The River All Stars.
I’m delighted you are part of such a great ensemble, but curious as to how it all came about…
MM: Well, it kinda came from doing all those Memphis sessions.
They have done a couple of films – the original one in Memphis in 2014 and a New Orleans one a couple of years ago – and, now, there’s going to be a London one.
I was contacted to be told they were coming over, and would I like to be part of the film Take Me To The River London. I said "Of course! Yes! Absolutely!" [laughs]
We went to Jools Holland’s studio in Greenwich, which was pretty cool, and filmed and recorded loads of stuff over a forty-eight hour period. Memphis soul and R&B singer William Bell was there; Hi Rhythm and all their guys were there; I cut a record for the film with Eric Gales, Jools Holland and Lina Beach, who is the Hi Rhythm guitar player. That will all be part of the film, as will all the interviews.
At the end of that filming week we played, as I mentioned earlier, the Red Rooster Festival, which was great.
I think a film of that show will be coming out, too, along with a couple of live acoustic segments.
So, yeah, I’m now part of the Take Me To The River family – in fact we all got to hang out just last month, which was great!
RM: Fantastic. And, of course, there’s a lot more to Take Me To The River than performances and films.
MM: Yeah, Take Me To The River is an awesome, non-profit foundation that celebrates, preserves and educates on the musical and cultural legacies of Memphis and New Orleans; they document that music through their films.
The Memphis film is fabulous; it has Bobby Bland and Otis Clay in it, among others. The New Orleans one you can now stream on Amazon Prime; it has incredible stuff in there, including the last meeting of all the surviving Neville Brothers.
RM: New Orleans, like Memphis, has a music and culture all its own. Whether Cajun, blues, jazz, swing, or whatever, you cannot help but be uplifted by the vibrant, infectious and feelgood nature of music from The Big Easy.
MM: So true, particularly Alen Toussaint, and guys like that.
Also, one thing I learnt from that film, which I hadn’t realised before, was the importance of preservation of the music and culture, as a focal point of the community.
There is a tradition in the U.S., and no more so than there, of bringing on younger musicians and mentorship; allowing them to share the stage with established musicians; teaching them and preparing them to carry on the tradition.
It's not so strong over here, I don’t think, but over in the U.S. it is; the film shows that very ethos, and that’s a great thing.
You have clearly taken consideration into how you approached these songs vocally, and not just their arrangements or instrumentation.
MM: Thank you so much. I have to say that I have learned an enormous amount from being around the Hi Rhythm guys; they have really taken me under their wing.
A couple of months ago I was in a session in Memphis, where we cut a song written by Reverend Charles Hodges. He sat me down next to him at the piano, and we sat there for three or four hours; he would tell me what to do or what not to do, or "no, not like this, more like that!" [laughs].
Having that level of coaching, guidance and mentorship has been amazing.
To be fair I did say "look, don’t go easy on me; make this as hard as possible and don’t hold back" – and they didn’t! [laughs]
To go back to your point about vocals, I love singing – actually I like singing more than I like playing guitar! Back about ten years ago, I would never have though that would have been a thing, but it’s B.B. King again, isn’t it? He would sing, then Lucille would sing; then him again, then Lucille. Voice and guitar.
I’ve also been lucky to have had the time recently to invest in how to do it, along with the opportunity to work or write with all these great musicians.
Learning from the likes of Hi Rhythm and playing with the Take Me To The River All Stars means the world to me; it really does.
RM: I Got What You Need isn't all about the vocal numbers, however.
As mentioned earlier you also have a couple of cool little instrumentals on this album. 335 for example, is a great little shuffle nod to Freddie King.
MM: I’ve got a really cool Tobacco Sunburst Gibson 335, and was sitting in my chair one Sunday morning with it, in my dressing gown, and cut that as a demo right after coming up with the idea.
And the guitar part you hear? That's the part I cut in what was either the second or third take of the demo.
And, yeah, it’s definitely got that Freddie King thing going on! We do it in the live shows too, it’s a great, fun song to play.
RM: The funky Soul City One is another great little instrumental, one that, to my ears, nods to Stax Records and the Stax and Memphis sound.
MM: It’s actually Willie Mitchell, and his Hi Records label in Memphis.
The history of Stax Records and Hi Records is very much intertwined – Gee Whizz by Carla Thomas, for example, came out on Stax, but was recorded at Royal Studios, which was run by Willie Mitchell.
He was very instrumental in both that sound, as an arranger and as a producer, and the sound of Soul City One – particularly the riff where it goes up to the bridge; that’s Willie Mitchell I’m referring to.
I’ll let you in to a little secret here – one of the songs we cut on those Hi Rhythm sessions I mentioned earlier is Soul City One, but with Hi Rhythm and the horns. It will come out as Soul City Two.
If you liked Soul City One, wait 'til you hear this. Man, the horns on that are awesome!
RM: What’s evident through this conversation is that you are so enthused, and completely in your element, with all of this. You’re just having your best time…
MM: Who would want to do anything else? It’s all pretty cool!
RM: What’s also pretty cool is I Got What You Need signs off on what has been a great year for you.
Beyond what we’ve already touched on – Memphis, the album, sessions with Hi Rhythm, playing with the All Stars – there’s the acoustic album you released earlier this year and, more significantly, the British Blues Awards for Traditional Artist Of The Year and Acoustic Act Of The Year. Both are fully deserved.
MM: Thank you, Ross. That acoustic album, Call Me Mississippi, came from Phil Dearing and I performing a whole bunch of acoustic shows. We literally sat down one afternoon in the studio and played and recorded the set as we had been performing it.
The fans really liked that record, which is great, because we have more acoustic gigs coming up next year.
I really like that style of playing because you can’t hide behind anything! [laughs]
RM: Also, of course, you have to bring your A – for acoustic – game to command and retain the attention of your audience.
MM: That’s exactly it. You’re looking to create an atmosphere.
I think back to the solo acoustic set I did at the Oran Mor at the Glasgow Blues Rhythm and Rock Festival last year; when you have everyone listening, and focussing in on what you are doing, that’s really cool.
You’ll see the likes of Eric Bibb and Keb Mo, and guys like Catfish Keith – an extraordinary player – do that sort of thing amazingly well, but you don’t see it too often.
But I really do like performing with just an acoustic, or an electric, or whatever the instrument, because there is no room for mistakes. You’ve got to get it right!
RM: Jumping back to another of those great 2024 moments, and as you mentioned at the top of this conversation, you now play with the Take Me To The River All Stars.
I’m delighted you are part of such a great ensemble, but curious as to how it all came about…
MM: Well, it kinda came from doing all those Memphis sessions.
They have done a couple of films – the original one in Memphis in 2014 and a New Orleans one a couple of years ago – and, now, there’s going to be a London one.
I was contacted to be told they were coming over, and would I like to be part of the film Take Me To The River London. I said "Of course! Yes! Absolutely!" [laughs]
We went to Jools Holland’s studio in Greenwich, which was pretty cool, and filmed and recorded loads of stuff over a forty-eight hour period. Memphis soul and R&B singer William Bell was there; Hi Rhythm and all their guys were there; I cut a record for the film with Eric Gales, Jools Holland and Lina Beach, who is the Hi Rhythm guitar player. That will all be part of the film, as will all the interviews.
At the end of that filming week we played, as I mentioned earlier, the Red Rooster Festival, which was great.
I think a film of that show will be coming out, too, along with a couple of live acoustic segments.
So, yeah, I’m now part of the Take Me To The River family – in fact we all got to hang out just last month, which was great!
RM: Fantastic. And, of course, there’s a lot more to Take Me To The River than performances and films.
MM: Yeah, Take Me To The River is an awesome, non-profit foundation that celebrates, preserves and educates on the musical and cultural legacies of Memphis and New Orleans; they document that music through their films.
The Memphis film is fabulous; it has Bobby Bland and Otis Clay in it, among others. The New Orleans one you can now stream on Amazon Prime; it has incredible stuff in there, including the last meeting of all the surviving Neville Brothers.
RM: New Orleans, like Memphis, has a music and culture all its own. Whether Cajun, blues, jazz, swing, or whatever, you cannot help but be uplifted by the vibrant, infectious and feelgood nature of music from The Big Easy.
MM: So true, particularly Alen Toussaint, and guys like that.
Also, one thing I learnt from that film, which I hadn’t realised before, was the importance of preservation of the music and culture, as a focal point of the community.
There is a tradition in the U.S., and no more so than there, of bringing on younger musicians and mentorship; allowing them to share the stage with established musicians; teaching them and preparing them to carry on the tradition.
It's not so strong over here, I don’t think, but over in the U.S. it is; the film shows that very ethos, and that’s a great thing.
RM: I’d like to jump back to 2017 and 2018 when you released two great albums in collaboration with American harmonica player Steve Bailey – Shake 'Em On Down and With The Soul Fixers, which garnered both critical acclaim and significant airplay, including The Paul Jones Show.
Again, I’m intrigued to how that collaboration came about…
MM: It started with my day job taking me to Seattle.
There was one particular evening where I refused to stay in the hotel – l wasn’t doing that corporate drinks thing anymore, I was going out! [laughs]
I went out to this blues club, where three acts were playing. There was a huge gospel choir, which was great, a guy called Son Jack Jr, whom people here may know as part of The Too Bad Jims with Little Victor, and Steve Bailey.
Son Jack Jr has a very American name but a very British accent, so I got talking to him and realised we had a few friends in common. He then introduced me to Steve, who is legendary as a harmonica player in Seattle.
Steve is a really great player with loads of great stores and lots of history around him; a great character too.
The next time I went over I got to spend a lot of time with Steve. We just hit it off immediately. So much so that he came over here to do a whole bunch of shows with me.
We then cut The Soul Fixers record; Steve recorded his harp parts in the U.S. which we then had sent over and put on the record. We followed that up with Shake 'Em On Down.
Again, I’m intrigued to how that collaboration came about…
MM: It started with my day job taking me to Seattle.
There was one particular evening where I refused to stay in the hotel – l wasn’t doing that corporate drinks thing anymore, I was going out! [laughs]
I went out to this blues club, where three acts were playing. There was a huge gospel choir, which was great, a guy called Son Jack Jr, whom people here may know as part of The Too Bad Jims with Little Victor, and Steve Bailey.
Son Jack Jr has a very American name but a very British accent, so I got talking to him and realised we had a few friends in common. He then introduced me to Steve, who is legendary as a harmonica player in Seattle.
Steve is a really great player with loads of great stores and lots of history around him; a great character too.
The next time I went over I got to spend a lot of time with Steve. We just hit it off immediately. So much so that he came over here to do a whole bunch of shows with me.
We then cut The Soul Fixers record; Steve recorded his harp parts in the U.S. which we then had sent over and put on the record. We followed that up with Shake 'Em On Down.
RM: To take you even further back, to when you first picked up a guitar at the age of eleven, what was the catalyst that had you listening to, and so taken with, southern U.S. blues and soul?
MM: Well, that was the era of Nirvana and all that sort of stuff, which I never really got into – at least not until their Unplugged show, when I realised, yeah, they were great!
But the point of it, was, for me, like the punk era before it, that anyone could be in a band. In fact, it seemed like everyone suddenly was in some sort of band – there was this curious confluence of time where all sorts of peoples’ dads had amazing gear coming out of attics!
I remember distinctly some kids having a 59 Telecaster and a Vox AC30, but we would say "you don’t want that old junk, you want one of those brand new Peavey’s, in pink, with a whammy bar!" [laughter].
Anyway, all of a sudden, all this gear became accessible. We all had guitars, so we could all be in a band, but I just couldn’t connect with all that grunge-era kind of stuff.
But, what I did connect with was the music I was hearing from friends and people I knew who had records by Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Chuck Berry, all sorts of blues and R&B.
Once I got into that, I began that journey of "well, why does it sound like that, and who actually are these people?"
Two things then happened. First, I went to see Chuck Berry live – it was one of his good nights, because by then they weren’t always good – and he played and sounded exactly like his records, with his Cherry Red 335.
I remember sitting there thinking "How is he doing that? How is he making that piece of wood sound like the record?"
It was partly terrifying, because I couldn’t work it out, and partly intoxicating; I knew I had to get into this somehow.
The other thing was one of my friends was in a country band, and we jammed a little, as mates would sometime do. I got plugged in, his dad showed me a few chords and off we went.
From there it was going along to their shows, and then doing a number with them. Next thing you’re doing three numbers, and then you’re doing the first half of the set. Then suddenly you’re in the band, and on the road for three or four nights a week! [laughs]
So, it was peoples’ record collections, random gear, and opportunity, all coming together at once!
That’s really how it all started.
RM: It sounds however like this wasn’t just about the discovery, and playing, of that type of music.
It clearly had quite an effect on you, leading to the musician and, indeed, traditional blues music historian and researcher, you are now.
MM: There were definitely important moments along the way. Hearing Al Green for the first time, that was a real "what the fuck is this?" moment.
O. V. Wright as well; he was the singer that really made me think "wow, this is awesome!" O. V. was on Hi Records with Al Green, but he never got the accolades or exposure Al did, who was very much the main artist.
But his songs for Hi Records, and Back Beat Records beforehand, are some of the greatest soul ever recorded. When you listen to that you think wow, this is it.
But you’re right, it wasn’t just about listening to the music, it also had a profound effect on me; one that still gives me that same level of excitement, and interest, today.
And, yeah, I guess I’m also a researcher. I want to hear about the stories and who these people are.
Where did they come from and what happened to them? How does it all fit together with the music?
You mix all those things together and you ultimately end up with something that sets you off on this lifelong journey.
I would reckon you are quite similar, in that you are continually discovering or researching in different fields of music, and still get that feeling of wow! with a new piece of music, just like you did when you were fifteen, or eleven, or whatever age.
I think all of us who are involved in music, in whatever capacity, have that shared experience; it might manifest itself different ways, but there is nothing like being at a great gig, or discovering a new piece of music. It’s a magical thing to be part of.
RM: Couldn’t agree more. It’s not so much a job as, to quote you, both a shared experience and a journey of discovery. From my point of view that could be anything from traditional or Celtic folk through to progressive metal, and most points in between. Long may that continue.
MM: It’s interesting you say that because a good few years back I made a really conscious effort to broaden my own musical horizons, because I realised I was spending a lot of time listening to similar stuff.
BBC Radio 6, for example, has an unbelievable range of alternative stuff.
A lot of folks speak negatively about streaming sites and, from a musician’s revenue perspective, I totally get that. But the ability to go and explore new musical pathways and be introduced to new stuff has never been so open, and accessible.
When I was a kid you used to have to save your pocket money and take a punt on a record you might have only heard a single from, or maybe you bought it just based on the front artwork!
And that was it, until you had saved up enough for another record!
Now, its extraordinary how much music you can hear or find, or follow through those Sounds Like or Other People Liked pathways.
RM: Right there with you as regards the pocket money past and everything is available present, but we could spend a full day on the pros and cons of the Spotifys of the world – that’s a whole different level of a musician's blues [laughs].
But as regards your own brand of blues, thanks so much for sitting in with FabricationsHQ and discussing your year in so much enthused detail – here's to 2025 being as good to you as 2024 was.
MM: Thank you so much Ross, this has been great! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone!
Ross Muir
Muirsical Conversation With Mississippi MacDonald
December 2024
Mississippi MacDonald website: https://mississippimacdonald.com/
Mississippi MacDonald bandcamp page: https://mississippimacdonald.bandcamp.com/
Learn more about Take Me To The River here: https://www.takemetotheriver.org/
Photo Credit: All Mississippi MacDonald images by Bradley Payne Photography
MM: Well, that was the era of Nirvana and all that sort of stuff, which I never really got into – at least not until their Unplugged show, when I realised, yeah, they were great!
But the point of it, was, for me, like the punk era before it, that anyone could be in a band. In fact, it seemed like everyone suddenly was in some sort of band – there was this curious confluence of time where all sorts of peoples’ dads had amazing gear coming out of attics!
I remember distinctly some kids having a 59 Telecaster and a Vox AC30, but we would say "you don’t want that old junk, you want one of those brand new Peavey’s, in pink, with a whammy bar!" [laughter].
Anyway, all of a sudden, all this gear became accessible. We all had guitars, so we could all be in a band, but I just couldn’t connect with all that grunge-era kind of stuff.
But, what I did connect with was the music I was hearing from friends and people I knew who had records by Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Chuck Berry, all sorts of blues and R&B.
Once I got into that, I began that journey of "well, why does it sound like that, and who actually are these people?"
Two things then happened. First, I went to see Chuck Berry live – it was one of his good nights, because by then they weren’t always good – and he played and sounded exactly like his records, with his Cherry Red 335.
I remember sitting there thinking "How is he doing that? How is he making that piece of wood sound like the record?"
It was partly terrifying, because I couldn’t work it out, and partly intoxicating; I knew I had to get into this somehow.
The other thing was one of my friends was in a country band, and we jammed a little, as mates would sometime do. I got plugged in, his dad showed me a few chords and off we went.
From there it was going along to their shows, and then doing a number with them. Next thing you’re doing three numbers, and then you’re doing the first half of the set. Then suddenly you’re in the band, and on the road for three or four nights a week! [laughs]
So, it was peoples’ record collections, random gear, and opportunity, all coming together at once!
That’s really how it all started.
RM: It sounds however like this wasn’t just about the discovery, and playing, of that type of music.
It clearly had quite an effect on you, leading to the musician and, indeed, traditional blues music historian and researcher, you are now.
MM: There were definitely important moments along the way. Hearing Al Green for the first time, that was a real "what the fuck is this?" moment.
O. V. Wright as well; he was the singer that really made me think "wow, this is awesome!" O. V. was on Hi Records with Al Green, but he never got the accolades or exposure Al did, who was very much the main artist.
But his songs for Hi Records, and Back Beat Records beforehand, are some of the greatest soul ever recorded. When you listen to that you think wow, this is it.
But you’re right, it wasn’t just about listening to the music, it also had a profound effect on me; one that still gives me that same level of excitement, and interest, today.
And, yeah, I guess I’m also a researcher. I want to hear about the stories and who these people are.
Where did they come from and what happened to them? How does it all fit together with the music?
You mix all those things together and you ultimately end up with something that sets you off on this lifelong journey.
I would reckon you are quite similar, in that you are continually discovering or researching in different fields of music, and still get that feeling of wow! with a new piece of music, just like you did when you were fifteen, or eleven, or whatever age.
I think all of us who are involved in music, in whatever capacity, have that shared experience; it might manifest itself different ways, but there is nothing like being at a great gig, or discovering a new piece of music. It’s a magical thing to be part of.
RM: Couldn’t agree more. It’s not so much a job as, to quote you, both a shared experience and a journey of discovery. From my point of view that could be anything from traditional or Celtic folk through to progressive metal, and most points in between. Long may that continue.
MM: It’s interesting you say that because a good few years back I made a really conscious effort to broaden my own musical horizons, because I realised I was spending a lot of time listening to similar stuff.
BBC Radio 6, for example, has an unbelievable range of alternative stuff.
A lot of folks speak negatively about streaming sites and, from a musician’s revenue perspective, I totally get that. But the ability to go and explore new musical pathways and be introduced to new stuff has never been so open, and accessible.
When I was a kid you used to have to save your pocket money and take a punt on a record you might have only heard a single from, or maybe you bought it just based on the front artwork!
And that was it, until you had saved up enough for another record!
Now, its extraordinary how much music you can hear or find, or follow through those Sounds Like or Other People Liked pathways.
RM: Right there with you as regards the pocket money past and everything is available present, but we could spend a full day on the pros and cons of the Spotifys of the world – that’s a whole different level of a musician's blues [laughs].
But as regards your own brand of blues, thanks so much for sitting in with FabricationsHQ and discussing your year in so much enthused detail – here's to 2025 being as good to you as 2024 was.
MM: Thank you so much Ross, this has been great! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone!
Ross Muir
Muirsical Conversation With Mississippi MacDonald
December 2024
Mississippi MacDonald website: https://mississippimacdonald.com/
Mississippi MacDonald bandcamp page: https://mississippimacdonald.bandcamp.com/
Learn more about Take Me To The River here: https://www.takemetotheriver.org/
Photo Credit: All Mississippi MacDonald images by Bradley Payne Photography