Moving into much rootsier territory than their former punk band
DDT, brothers
Luther (guitar, mandolin, vocals) and
Cody Dickinson (drums, sampling) formed
the North Mississippi Allstars in 1996 with bassist
Chris Chew. The sons of longtime Memphis production staple
Jim Dickinson were born in Fayette County, TN, and their family later moved to northern Mississippi, where the boys soaked up the country-blues sound of the region from artists like
Mississippi Fred McDowell and
R.L. Burnside. That became the chief inspiration for
the Allstars, but the group also mixes in a rock edge, an alternative aesthetic (comparable to outfits like
the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion or
G. Love and Special Sauce), and a trad-rock jam-band sensibility (think
Phish,
Widespread Panic, or even
Medeski, Martin & Wood). After touring as an opening act for a variety of artists, thus honing their chops as a unit,
the North Mississippi Allstars issued their debut album,
Shake Hands with Shorty, in the spring of 2000.
51 Phantom followed the next year. Later in 2001, the
North Mississippi Allstars teamed with
John Medeski and pedal steel player
Robert Randolph to form the
Word, an instrumental gospel-blues band, for an album and tour. They then regrouped, adding
Duwayne Burnside (son of
R.L.) and releasing
Polaris in 2003. The concert album
Hill Country Revue: Live at Bonnaroo followed in late 2004.
Electric Blue Watermelon, which featured guest spots by
Lucinda Williams,
Robert Randolph, the
Dirty Dozen Brass Band,
Otha Turner and others, appeared in 2005 from Ato Records.
Hernando, the first release on the band's own label Songs of the South, was issued in 2008, followed a year later in 2009 by
Do It Like We Used to Do, a two-disc set of live performances which also included a third disc that presented a video documentary on the band. ~ Steve Huey and Sean Westergaard, All Music Guide