Description
For his latest, Mississippi Son, Charlie has forsaken any guest stars, it’s just him and harp, his guitar, and a rhythm section. The 78-year-old recently returned to his Mississippi roots, moving back to his native state and celebrating his heritage by recording in historic Clarksdale, the birthplace of the blues that spawned Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker.
A mix of originals and covers, Mississippi Son encompasses Musselwhite’s influences, from the Stanley Brothers to John Lee Hooker. Hooker gets his homage tended to on “Hobo Blues” and “Crawling King Snake,” delivered in proper hoodoo swamp stomp style.
Charlie Musselwhite must have access to some magic formula unavailable to the rest of us mere mortals. His music is timeless, his voice virtually unchanged since he started putting out music six decades ago. He’s toured and recorded with a stellar array of artists as diverse as Hot Tuna, Cindy Lauper, Bonnie Raitt, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Ben Harper, and Elvin Bishop.
It’s a rare treat to hear Musselwhite play guitar. Although he’s been playing since he was a kid, he says once he got to Chicago from Memphis, there were tons of guitar players. “There weren’t that many harp players, so I just gravitated toward that”
