American Blues Slide guitarist to appear for a special conversation and performance in the Sanders Soundstage
GRAMMY Museum® Mississippi has announced the next program in the Words & Music: A Songwriter Series will take place on Monday, March 21, featuring an evening of music and conversation with American blues slide guitarist and North Mississippi native, Kenny Brown, who has recorded with such names as R.L. Burnside, Junior Kimbrough, Cyndi Lauper, The North Mississippi Allstars, The Black Keys, and many more.
“We are so honored to welcome a Mississippi legend, Kenny Brown, to our Museum,” said Emily Havens, Executive Director of GRAMMY Museum Mississippi. “Kenny’s contributions to the North Mississippi Hill Country blues style are remarkable, and we’re looking forward to having him here to share his music and stories of his career.”
Words & Music: Kenny Brown will take place on March 21 at 7 pm in the Sanders Soundstage. Tickets are $15 for GRAMMY Museum Mississippi Members and $20 for non-members. Tickets are currently on sale at grammymuseumms.org.
ABOUT KENNY BROWN
Kenny Brown is an American blues slide guitarist skilled in the North Mississippi Hill Country blues style. At seven years old, Brown began hearing Otha Turner, Napolean Strickland, and others who played at picnics across the road from his home. Brown apprenticed with Mississippi Joe Callicott, who moved in next door to his home in Nesbit, Mississippi, from ages 12 to 15, when Callicott died. Around 1971 Brown began playing with two other musicians. Johnny Woods would make an occasional playing partner until his death in 1990. More steady was Brown’s learning with R. L. Burnside, who claimed Brown as his “adopted son.” In the early ’70s they started to perform in their region and would keep up as a duo for 30 years, sometimes being joined by Calvin Jackson on drums. Cedric Burnside joined their tours beginning in 1994, as Burnside’s reputation surged in the ’90s and early 2000s. Brown first appeared abroad in Sweden in 1989.
On record, Brown has recorded with R.L. Burnside, Junior Kimbrough, Asie Payton, CeDell Davis, Paul “Wine” Jones, Frank Frost, T-Model Ford, Dale Hawkins, Mojo Bufford, Jessie Mae Hemphill, The North Mississippi Allstars, Jojo Herman, as well as Cyndi Lauper. Brown’s solo debut album was Goin’ Back to Mississippi (1996), rereleased on Big Legal Mess and produced by Dale Hawkins. He has recorded one album for Fat Possum Records, Stingray (2003). He released Cheap, Fast, and Dirty (2006) with Danish guitarist Troels Jensen, at Olufsen Records. Meet Ya In The Bottom (2008) was a CD Baby release, as was his 2011 double album Can’t Stay Long.
Brown’s guitar work was featured in the 2006 film Black Snake Moan, where he provided backing for star Samuel L. Jackson‘s vocals. He can be seen in the film’s climax as a guitarist in a blues band, playing alongside Cedric Burnside. Brown continues to perform locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally, and currently lives in the North Mississippi Hill Country.
ABOUT GRAMMY MUSEUM MISSISSIPPI
Developed by the Cleveland Music Foundation—a nonprofit organization founded in 2011—the 28,000-square foot GRAMMY Museum Mississippi is housed near the campus of Delta State University, home of the Delta Music Institute’s Entertainment Industry Studies program, which features the most unique audio recording facilities in the South. Affiliated with the GRAMMY Museum Foundation™, GRAMMY Museum Mississippi is dedicated to exploring the past, present, and future of music, and the cultural context from which it emerges, while casting a focused spotlight on the deep musical roots of Mississippi. The Museum features a dynamic combination of public events, educational programming, engaging multimedia presentations, and interactive permanent and traveling exhibits, including a Mississippi-centric area that introduces visitors to the impact of Mississippi’s songwriters, producers, and musicians on the traditional and modern music landscape.
For more information, visit grammymuseumms.org.
