2005 was an excellent year for the North Mississippi Allstars. The most recent Grammy Awards show saw them nominated as Best Contemporary Blues Band.
Not one to rest on their laurels, however, the band will roll into town tonight to play at Rick’s Caf‹¨ on its continuing promotion of its latest contemporary blues album Electric Blue Watermelon.
Started in 1996, the Allstars consists of brothers Luther and Cody Dickinson, on guitar/vocals and drums respectively, and Chris Chew on bass.
Being the sons of the legendary Southern rocker Jim Dickinson, it was inevitable that Cody and Luther would end up in music.
Their father had experienced the clash of cultures in Memphis during the ’60s.
This wasn’t the infamous civil rights clash, however, but, as Luther Dickinson puts it, “a cultural collision of wise blues men and crazy white kids. This is the World Boogie.”
And as Luther further explains, Electric Blue Watermelon is a sort of homage to World Boogie.
“We are a product of the World Boogie,” he said. “Electric Blue Watermelon is a realization of a shared vision older than us.”
And it only makes sense that The Allstars, on their sixth album, make a return to their roots.
At the foundation of the band in 1996, their inspirations (who were friends as well as contemporaries) were reaching a climactic peak.
Blues legends such as R.L. Burnside and Otha Turner were leading a heated revival of Mississippi Blues.
But the Allstars’ are beginning their rise to fame, their roots are starting to wither and fade.
Burnside and Turner have passed, and others are either retired or on their way out.
“The old days are gone,” Luther said. “It caused me to rethink who we are and what we should be doing.”
As Jim Dickinson explains, even the title of the album is a reference to the good ole days.
“Electric Blue Watermelon was the free-form back-up band created by the late, great Lee Baker for [the Memphis County Blues Festivals].”
It seems like all the hard work has paid off.
They’ve earned everything from appearances on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” and “Last Call with Carson Daly” shows, to features in Entertainment Weekly and even opening up for the Black Crowes on their reunion shows. The third Grammy nomination was just the icing on the cake.
According to Rick Welch, owner of Rick’s Caf‹¨, their success comes as no surprise.
“They are some of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet,” he said. “Very humble and extremely talented. When you see them play you’ll know why they were nominated for a Grammy. They’re one of the best blues acts in the nation, if not the world.”
Rick should know as the Allstars are no stranger to Rick’s Caf‹¨.
“We first had them play in ’96 or ’97 around when they started,” Welch said. “I hadn’t heard of them yet, but people kept coming up to me saying ‘you’ve got to book this band.’ After about the fifth person came up to me I told myself that I just had to look into it, and I’m glad I did.”
Ever since then, Rick has tried to get the Allstars to play near the opening of each semester as a “welcome back” present to the students. And the band isn’t quick to forget it, either.
“They’ve remembered the people that had them play in the beginning,” Welch explained. “I’m glad we developed this relationship because it’s really paid off for both of us.”
So has all this success changed the band’s attitude at all, as is usually the case?
“Yeah,” Welch said. “They got a whole lot nicer.”
The North Mississippi Allstars will be performing tonight with Alvin Youngblood Hart. Tickets are $13 in advance and $15 at the door and available from Rick’s or online at www.rickscafe.net. More information about the North Mississippi Allstars can be found at www.nmallstars.com.