To say that Jimbo Mathus is quirky is an understatement (as you will see below!), but as a performer, Mathus contributed vocals on the North Mississippi Allstars’ 2006 Grammy-nominated Electric Blues Watermelon. He recently reteamed with buddy Luther Dickinson and Alvin Youngblood Hart to create the South Memphis String Band, whose first release, Home Sweet Home, is nominated for a Blues Music Award (formerly known as the Handy Awards.) He also collaborated with Luther Dickinson and The Sons of Mudboy on Onward & Upward, nominated for Best Folk Performance in the 2011 Grammy Awards. The album came out in late 2009 and features Mathus on guitar, mandolin, banjo and vocals. It honors the late Jim Dickinson and received a glowing review in Rolling Stone magazine. “Jim would have loved the rough edges [and] determined joy,” wrote Senior Editor David Fricke. He joined us for our 5GB series before playing at The Earl tonight.
What’s the first gig you ever attended?
Thanks for being patient with this. Was working all day and couldnt get to a computer.
To answer you r question pertaining to the first gig I ever saw, that would be hard to say, as I grew up in a family band. The gig/ non- gig line was pretty vague in my youth as music was all around me. My father, cousins and uncles all played for our our own amusement and for family reunions, parties and etc.
I remember picking up a mandolin as a lad of 5 years old while the grown ups were away. I messed up and let the pick fall in the f- hole of the instrument. I was terrified because I couldn’t shake the pick out of the body of the mandolin thought the small sound hole ,knowing that it would be discovered that I had messed with the instrument without asking. I wept! When Dad picked up the instrument later that week ( hours of torture waiting to be found out) , he asked me had I been playing on the mandolin. I confess that I , unlike geo. Washington , did tell a lie and tried to deny it, as it was forbidden for kids to handle things like that unsupervised. At any rate he did nt punish me but began to teach me the rudiments of music , which I still use to this day.
As far as the first rock n roll show I ever saw it was Joan Jett, reo speed wagon, survivor and Kansas at the liberty bowl in Memphis tn. I was in the 8 th grade , my friends dad took us, I drank pink slow gin and made out with a high school chick I met. Yee haw! I also purchased a 3/4 sleeve concert t shirt that said “rock 103 presents Liberty Jam . When I wore it to school the following Monday the slow gin stain on the front was especially awesome to me . Peace love and catfish, Jimbo mathus Taylor miss 2012.
Catch Jimbo Mathus & the Tri-State Coalition, Sept. 12th @ The Earl
