Guitarist,
songwriter, vocalist and producer Jimbo Mathus grew up in Clarksdale,
Mississippi. He first caught the public's ear in the 1990's
with the hyper-ragtime vaudeville act, The Squirrel Nut Zippers.
Since then, he's released many recordings of his own in a style
he describes as "Mississippi Music". "
Basically,
" Mathus says, "I combine the myriad styles of deep roots music
in a type of alchemy. Blues, country, gospel and soul all go
into the equation equally." His last outing called "Knockdown
South", was released on his own label and received much critical
acclaim. It was voted number 2 for Best of 2005 by Honest Tune
Magazine.
Mathus played a key role in Buddy Guy's "Sweet Tea" (2001) and
Grammy winning "Blues Singer" (2004) as guitarist and arranger.
He also runs the Delta Recording Service, a studio based in
Clarksdale, MS and is sought out by many artists seeking the
old school style of recording. One such artist was Elvis Costello,
who recorded his Grammy nominated "Monkey to Man" single in
Mathus' studio in 2005. He has produced two blues CDs that are
nominated for WC handy awards in 2006; Duwane Burnside's "Under
Pressue" and Big George Brocks "Club Caravan". Additionally,
he contributed vocals on North Mississippi Allstars 2006 Grammy
nominated "Electric Blues Watermelon".
All
that being said, who is Jimbo Mathus really, and what is he
trying to do to us? "I break down walls and stereotypes with
my music. I confuse people. I use Mississippi music, which is
renegade music at heart, as my inspiration and motivation. I
use it as a tool to reach people, to express my own feelings
and continue to express those that came before me. I keep the
old stories alive while they help keep me alive."
