John Primer - Grown In Mississippi
BluesHouseProductions.com - JohnPrimerBlues.com
Executive Producer - Lisa B. Primer - Blues House Productions,LLC
Producer - Michael Frank,Earwig Music Company
Co-Producer - Steven Hausheer
Lisa Primer - Manager,Publicist,Bookings - lbeckerconsulting1@gmail.com
John Primer - "A true master is always learning from his students."
https://youtu.be/QXdZlHO-Hb0?si=ln3hmOfsq5OLFaiz
John Primer is,indeed, "the Real Deal" in every sense of the word . From his early childhood in Camden,Mississippi,on a sharecropper farm, John's family was steeped in the spiritual,gospel,blues and R & B traditions. As a young boy John's mother knew he would be a singer,"he came out singing" , she would say . John first appeared on stage at the local Baptist church,in his home town of Camden,Mississippi . He was raised with blues records being played by his grandmother . John dreamed of one day playing his guitar on stage with his idol Muddy Waters . At the age of 18 John followed the path of his mentors and migrated to Chicago in the Fall of 1963. It wasn't long before this young man did indeed play with his idols , embracing him , mentoring him , and later taking John on the road with them.He has played with Muddy and the Stones at the Checkerboard Lounge,fronted numerous popular and incredible bands,Grammy-nominated,earned a boatload of awards , and remains an enormously popular - and greatly admired - entertainer who gives his all at each and every show. John Primer is humble , authentic , and unabashedly honest , whose mission in life has been to keep the blues alive and well through generations of fans worldwide.
"Grown In Mississippi" is authentic , real deal blues,an album that John has called "a coming-home, grown-in-Mississippi album" . The sound is raw, passionate,true , and from the heart .
"It's pure old blues.I want people to understand where I'm coming from.It's pure old blues, all natural blues , guitar and amplifier,that's it . I keep it real...I don't try to change it. I might get me a different beat. I can change the song anyway I'd like to play it. I can change a slow blues to a fast blues or a fast blues to a slow blues. I can change all that stuff and keep it blues. I try to keep it my way . Me. I'm playing what I learned from (old blues men).I don't try to be those people,I'm just keeping the stuff alive." - John Primer
"Grown In Mississippi" is pure, traditional blues with songs that John wrote about Mississippi , thinking about his childhood , reminiscing about growing up as part of a sharecropper family,working the land. - "I ain't kicking up no dust,dragging my feet" . John brings along a stellar group of Mississippi veteran musicians , many of whom live a stones throw from the "Crossroads" , where the legend says that Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil - Bobby Rush,Deak Harp,Charlie Musselwhite , Watermelon Slim,Eden Brent,Lee Williams , Lightnin' Malcolm,Rickey "Quicksand" Martin , Harvell Thomas,Jr; Billy Earheart,Steve Bell - and - Aliya Primer , whose touching vocals embrace us all with the poignant and uplifting, "Lay my Burden Down".
We can let John Primer himself discuss the tracks on this amazing release:
* "John's Blues Holler" - "Inspired by the field hollers I would hear workin' in the fields". check out the crickets chirping and the shovel hitting the dirt as John sings out accapella , much like those songs that drifted across the cotton fields all those years ago .
* "Born in Mississippi" - "was inspired by the first blues I heard my family members playin' ".
* "Blues Before Sunrise" - "always made me think about getting up early to work in the fields" - features Deak Harp on a wonderful harp solo .
* "Down in the Bottom" - "pays tribute to Howlin' Wolf.I would listen to him on the radio growin' up"
* " Walkin' Blues" - honors Muddy Waters,I would dream about playin' with Muddy as a child."
* "Nothin' but a chicken wing" - " is a funky blues tune I wrote,it represents the Chitlin' Circuit." Bobby Rush lays down some funked up and delightfully greasy harp work here .
* "A Better Day" - " is one of my gospel songs I wrote to pay tribute to the gospel I grew up with."
* "When I met the Blues" - "is a song to represent the hill country blues I love so much."
* "Baby Please Don't Go" - "is a song I have always loved to perform acoustically." - features the harp work of Charlie Musselwhite.
* "Let me be your Electrician" - "was my stepfather's favorite song." features the devilish howling of Steve Bell on harmonica.
* "Shame Shame Shame" - "I wanted to include Jimmy Reed,he is a huge influence."
* "Lay my Burdens Down" - Daughter Aliya songs on this track - "it's another tribute to the gospel." - Aliya's vocals are beautifully uplifting , a spiritual boost for all of us that is deeply emotional .
* "I Ain't Kickin' up no dust" - "is a song I wrote thinking about walkin' for miles in dusty MS."
* "John's Crawdad Song" - "is the first song I learned to play on my didley bow."
"I hope you enjoy this inspirational album as much as me." - John Primer
Gut-bucket blues that delivers the power,and the beauty, of classic blues to all of us . Pure , traditional blues- piano,harmonica,bass and drums - that's it !! Deeply emotional,rooted deep in the heart , with a pulse beating with the "Golden Buckle of the Cotton Belt",Clarksdale , music that is rooted in the bountiful cultural soil of the legendary hill country. John Primer takes us to the place where magnificent sunsets come down over the cotton fields,with shades of pink and orange meeting the horizon; where Robert Johnson allegedly sold his soul to the devil at the intersection of Highway 61 and 49, the "Crossroads" ; the place where stories,tall tales, and legends meet at the head of the Sunflower River; and , most importantly , the birthplace of the blues, where work songs,spirituals,and field hollers inspired this remarkable musical heritage .
"Grown In Mississippi" is beautifully recorded , absolutely captivating , and highly entertaining . This release is a gift to music fans everywhere!! A powerful musical mojo from start to finish!!
Review Written by - John Muller - Blue Notes and Conversations - raymondmuller567.wixsite.com/blue-notes-and-con-1
