At the June installment of the 2023 Pine Bluff Blues by Budweiser concert series, Kent Burnside, the oldest grandson of the legendary R.L. Burnside, made an appearance at RJ's Sports Bar & Grill at 128 S. Main St.
A bluesman in his own right, Kent, with his drummer Jacob Best and bass player Colin Best, kicked off their performance at 7 p.m. Saturday to a packed house of blues enthusiasts from across south and central Arkansas who warmly welcomed the group.
Before the show, Burnside invited Port City Blues Society guitarist Mark Morgan to join the band on stage during the performance, adding a fourth dimension of slide, rhythm and occasional lead guitar to the otherwise three-piece band.
Before the performance, Burnside shared some of his personal and family history. When not on the road, he splits his time between Holly Springs, Miss., where he grew up, and Des Moines, Iowa, where his children live.
Asked his strongest recollection of blues pioneer R.L. (Robert Lee) Burnside, he said, "We would go to Junior's (Kimbrough) all the time. The Kimbroughs and Burnsides were like one big family." Junior Kimbrough fathered 36 children while R.L raised eight sons and four daughters with his wife Alice Mae Taylor. The family knew the elder Burnsides as "Big Daddy" and "Big Momma."
"We'd go to Junior's juke joint in Chulahoma every weekend and get home brew (moonshine) from the back room for $2.50 a bottle. I grew up playing bass guitar for Junior. That was my life every Friday and Saturday."
Burnside continued: "I'd watch how grandfather brought everybody together with his smile and his songs. I'd say to myself, 'if I can ever get just a little of what he has I'll be on my way.' His music was amazing. It had no color to it. He got everybody in the same groove whoever they were, wherever he went."
Asked what he learned from R.L., Burnside said, "He showed all us kids rhythm and chord structure. He would always tell me, "You have to find your own groove. When you find it, take that groove and ride it." R.L. Burnside, Junior Kimbrough and Kenny Brown are credited with developing the unique rhythmic style of Mississippi Hill Country Blues. R.L. Burnside released 18 albums during his career.
"And he'd say, 'No matter how famous you get in this business, never let it change you.'" Kent added, "I've been all over the world doing shows and I've never forgot that advice."
Asked about R.L.'s youngest son, Garry Burnside, Kent said, "Even though he is my uncle, he's five years younger than me and we grew up like brothers." Burnside recalled their life as kids running around at Junior's juke joint. Burnside said, "Garry and I used to go in and mess with their instruments when the band took a break. We'd bang around on the guitar and drums so when they came back to play they'd have to retune their strings."
He told about a learning experience the pair shared. "Garry and I were always cutting up and getting loud together. One day we were riding in the back seat of granddaddy's car and he was having a drink trying to relax. He told us to quiet down but we kept getting louder. About two miles from the house, he pulled over and let us out. He said, 'Get there any way you can,' and drove off." With a broad smile, Burnside added, "Next time he told us to be quiet, we listened."
A well-known fixture on the Pine Bluff music scene, Detroit Johnny Johnson has spent a lifetime as a bluesman, touring the world for many years as a young man with Robert Nighthawk and associating with all the great blues icons. He said, "I knew R.L. Burnside. He was influenced by Lightning Hopkins, Houston Stackhouse, Sun House, John Lee Hooker, Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters but he and his best buddy Junior helped found Hill Country Blues. He liked the country life and country living ... and was satisfied staying home on the farm. He made his living driving tractors and farm equipment so he was never without money." It was only in later years when his sound began to be discovered by the wider world that he took up touring.
Kent Burnside said, "He had me driving a tractor at nine years old. That's the same time I picked up the guitar, so that's how I earned enough money to pay for my strings." With a fond look in his eyes, he added, "I remember Grandfather always sang when he drove the tractor."
Asked about his association with actor Samuel L. Jackson, Burnside said, "He was in Memphis working on the movie 'Black Snake Moan." My sister met him and told Jackson he should get together with me to learn more about playing the blues. She called me and I came up from Holly Springs and we began to spend time together. I showed him some chords and helped him learn to play the style he used in the movie. I told him what Grandfather told me, 'Get on that groove, stay on that groove and you can't go wrong!'"
Regarding his repertoire, he said, "I do a lot of other people's stuff, but I have a lot of my own songs." Kent Burnside's discography includes two long-play records, "My World Is So Cold" and "39."
A three-time cancer survivor, he has been malignancy-free since 2000. Burnside said, "I don't drink or smoke. Music is my life and what I do."
Host and master of ceremonies for the evening, Port City Blues Society Vice President Dave Sadler, shared what the organization does. "Port City has been around seven years now, with our main objective to preserve blues music and blues society. We are up to 290 members and growing. We will be sponsoring a blues music competition called The Road to Memphis held here at RJ's on July 22. The winner will go on to compete in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis."
He continued, "This is our second year hosting Blues by Budweiser sponsored by MK Distributors. Tonight is our 15th concert in the series. We also have our weekly blues jam every Wednesday night at RJ's. Entry on Wednesdays is free to Blues Society members and only $5 for everyone else."
Recently dubbed by patrons as "The Crown Jewel of the Delta," RJ's Sports Bar & Grill saw every seat at every table filled for the event. Stepping to the microphone, Sadler introduced Burnside as being "born into the blues" and "a true Blues blueblood."
A tall man at well over 6 feet, Burnside towered above the stage as he launched into "See My Jumper Hanging on The Line."
Described as "dark, hypnotic, inviting and very danceable," Burnside played his distinctive musical stylings for the full house. Leading into a cover of one of his grandfather's best-loved songs, the younger Burnside said, "Without R.L. Burnside I wouldn't be here. Last year my cousin Cedric and I won a Grammy doing this. That's something I never thought was possible."