Junior Kimbrough

By: Greg Johnson

Article Reprint from the April, 2002 BluesNotes
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Prior to the 1992 release of the film documentary "Deep Blues," based loosely on the book by music historian, Robert Palmer, few people were aware of the musical legacy of the North Mississippi Hill Country. Unlike the Delta, not far to the west, the Hill Country was farmland run mostly by sharecroppers and not home to the large cotton plantations. Modern conveniences such as the development of the Interstate highway system was late arriving in this s part of the state, so many of the field researchers who discovered the performers in the Delta knew nothing of this community only a short drive away. Perhaps the only Blues musician of any true renown from that area was "Mississippi" Fred McDowell, and his discovery did not take place until 1959, close to 30 years after many of the legendary figures of the Delta.

The film "Deep Blues" changed all of that. Portions of the movie took place at the Chewalla Rib Shack, located just east of Holly Springs, approximately one hour from Memphis. The stage is first occupied in the film by the talented Jessie Mae Hemphill, the grand-daughter of the great fife-and-drum musician, Sid Hemphill. Fife-and-drums played a major role in the development of the region's sound, with it's long, hypnotic beat. But, it was the film's next performer who drove this style home: David "Junior" Kimbrough.

Kimbrough had been playing this form for more than 40 years when the movie was released. His mesmerizing appearance caught the attention of Matthew Johnson, a journalist for "Living Blues" Magazine, who had decided that he wanted to pursue authentic Blues musicians in order to create a new record label. He was tired of seeing the newer Blues musicians coming out of large cities in the East, playing heavy-handed Blues-infused-Rock. Junior Kimbrough became the first artist on this new label he dubbed Fat Possum.

Junior Kimbrough had spent nearly his entire life in the Hill Country, born in nearby Hudsonville on July 28, 1930. He was the son of sharecroppers and at an early age he would be left alone in the care of his older sister while the family tended the farm. Both his father and brother owned guitars, but they placed them where they believed they'd be secure from younger hands. David was entranced by the sound of the guitar and he removed the instruments from their hiding places once the others had left for the day. He had a natural gift, able to learn by ear. Once he even claimed that if he had a thought for a song, all he would need to do was play it once and it would be committed to memory. If he did not play it, then it was lost forever. Fred McDowell was one source for his learning. As was a local guitarist named, Eli Green, a man who many believed gained his musical prowess through the voodoo powers he was said to possess. Young David was a quick learner and even proved to be a teacher to his childhood friend, future Rockabilly star, Charlie Feathers, who to this day claims Kimbrough to be his earliest influence.

But, it wasn't only the guitar that David found intriguing while his family was at work. It was also reported that he gained his first taste for whiskey by the age of eight. One day his mother came home and found him in an alcoholic-induced coma. This proved to be the last time that the youngster was left home with his sister; instead he began learning the ways of farming.

After only two years of attending high school, David accepted a position working at the local John Deere dealership. He held onto this position until 1954, when he decided to migrate north like many other African-Americans of the time and ended up in Chicago. Four years later he returned south and settled briefly in Memphis. All throughout this period he continued to perform, now playing under the self-given moniker of "Junior"

While living in Memphis, he had his first opportunity to record. He made a handful of sides for the father of Sun Records owner, Sam Phillips, but they failed to garner any airplay at the time and Junior moved back to the Hill Country.

Over the years, Kimbrough would work in many professions, including sharecropping, as a mechanic and also as a moonshiner. He began to hold weekend parties, turning the family home into a juke joint. He was extremely popular with the local crowd and sometimes would even draw people from the nearby university in Oxford. His next recording session was made in 1968 with the song "Tramp" for the local Philwood label, but this recording also generated no success.

In 1979, historian David Evans, a professor of music at the University of Memphis, chanced upon Junior Kimbrough playing at Ethel's Juke Joint in Holly Springs. The University had recently created its own small record label called High Water and he brought Kimbrough, along with Jessie Mae Hemphill and longtime friend, R.L. Burnside, in to cut some sides, including his next single titled, "Keep Your Hands Off Her." The sides would be compiled for Junior's first full-length album, "Do The Rump" (re-released by the HMG label in 1997). Other than an early version of the single, "All Night Long", which would appear on a compilation recording released by Southland Records, these would be Kimbrough's last recordings until the debut Fat Possum release, "All Night Long" in 1992.

Fat Possum utilized "Deep Blues" producer, Robert Palmer, to create the album for Kimbrough. It was decided the only true way he could be captured was live at the Chewalla Rib Shack and so a make-shift studio was erected. This proved to be a success, as this untapped sound which had caused a sensation with the film, turned out to be the right combination for the fledgling label. "All Night Long" received rave reviews, eventually being named the "Most Important Blues Album of the Decade" by "Rolling Stone" Magazine.

Not long after the. releases of "Deep Blues" and "All Night Long," Sammy Greer, the owner of Chewalla Rib Shack, decided that he had had enough of the juke joint business and closed down. Junior purchased a larger juke in nearby Chulahoma, which came to be known simply as "Junior's Place." Fat Possum released a second album titled, "Sad Days Lonely Nights," which proved to be another winner for Junior. Soon, his juke was being visited by tourists and touring Rock musicians from around the world, including The Rolling Stones and U2, who came to see Junior, R.L. Burnside, and their respective families perform.

Junior's success would lead to Fat Possum putting together traveling renditions of the juke joint's artists throughout the United States and Europe. Kimbrough even found himself doing a tour as the opening act for rocker, Iggy Pop. A third album was also issued by Fat Possum in 1997, "Most Things Haven't Worked Out."

At this same period, Junior began to suffer from various health problems, including a series of strokes. He was also involved in an auto accident that revealed other medical conditions he was unaware of, including diabetes, high blood pressure and gall stones. He was forced to step away from playing for a while and left the juke joint to be run by his sons, David (Malone), Jr. and Kenny Malone. On January 17, 1998, Junior was watching TV at the home of his common-law wife, Mildred Washington, in Holly Springs, when he died of a sudden heart attack. He was 67 years old.

Funeral services were held at Rust College in Holly Springs on January 24th and he was buried at the Kimbrough Chapel Missionary Baptist Church in his hometown of Hudsonville. Besides his partner Mildred Washington, Kimbrough left behind 36 children from various relationships.

The juke joint, Junior's Place, continued to thrive as a local music hangout and tourist attraction until April 6, 2000, when it was destroyed by a fire caused by arson. Everything inside was lost: instruments, stage equipment and original artwork by regional painters. But, the sound that was created inside the walls of the juke will always remain. Junior Kimbrough may not have experienced the grandeur of success that his friend R.L Burnside has received over the following years, but he is the acknowledged creator of the style that has sparked a whole new generation of Blues musicians.

Junior's childhood friend, Charlie Feathers, is quoted on Kimbrough's headstone, which probably brings this musical creation home. It reads: "Junior Kimbrough is the beginning and the end of all music".

Junior Kimbrough

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