This side-project of Jimbo's put out their first CD in late 1997 called Play Songs For Rosetta. These are the liner notes for that album:
I found out about Rooster Blues when I was down in Mississippi in the
summer of '96. I was hanging out in Clarksdale, specifically at
Abe's Bar-b-que out on Highway 61. I'm the third generation to
do so. I noticed a blue vynil 45 r.p.m record in a frame on the wall.
Closer examination revealed it to be on the Rooster Blues label in
Clarksdale. I was astounded. I had no idea that such a place existed,
and I know some out of the way places. I copied the address, quickly
finished my chopped pork sandwich and left.
The address was Sunflower Ave., right around the corner from my Papa's
shoe store. It was in a little building shaped like a riverboat and
the sign was dangling off the bow precariously. This business
had been called The Ice Cream Boat when it was concieved and had gone
out of business a while back.
I went in and started gabbing with the person I found there, who that day
happened to be Nancy Kossman. The joint was filled with Blues Records,
CD's, juke joint posters, publicity photos, King Biscuit flour sacks and
etc. "My kind of people," I thought. We talked while I poked around.
"Yea, I've always thought Charlie patton was the greatest Delta blues
musician," Nancy said, "I can never get enough of his music." I agreed with
her and mentioned that I had just come from Rosetta's house in Duncan.
"Oh, you know Rose?" she said.
"Why Lordy yes," I said, "she practically raised me."
While we talked, several local musicians came through, some to pick up
instruments the had stored in the back, others to pass along where the
gigs would be later that night and who would be playing. I found out
that Terry Williams would be playing at a club called Crossroads.
I agreed to meet Nancy there to enjoy the home specialty - tall boy
Budwiser and a fish sandwich.
"The moon rose high in the midnight sky on the road to the bottomland."
-Jim Dickinson
That night was quite an eye-opening experience. Some friends came down
from memphis and we all were mightly moved by the good blues we heard.
The band found out I was a musician and I gladly accepted their offer
to sit in. We did "Come Back Baby" and "Honeybee Sail On" and others.
Somehow, the whiskey was free from the bar and I didn't complain about
it. It was then that I made a solemn but garbled vow to record in
Clarksdale.
-Jas. Mathus
| So, that is how the Knockdown Society came to be. Jim's Mississippi upbringing bore in him a fascination for Delta blues music, and once he got back there and played with some local musicians, things clicked within him. |
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Play Songs for Rosetta is a sort of benefit album for Jim's longtime friend and childhood caretaker, Rosetta Patton. Unbeknownst to Jimbo, when he was being cared for while at his aunt and uncle's home in Clarksdale, the woman making him sandwiches and lemonade was the daughter of the great Delta blues guitarist, Charlie Patton. When Jim finally realized this, and Rose came to be in poor health, he assembeled a group of friends and fine Delta musicians to record this album. |
Keith "Wolf" Anderson Greg Bell Andrew Bird Joe Braun Stu Cole (of SNZ) Cody Dickinson Luther Dickinson Jack Fine Glenn "Spookhouse" Ghram (Of Blind Melon) Bobby Hoerner Michael "Hawkeye" Jordan Jas. "Hambone" Mathus (Of SNZ) Mike "Napy Latte" Napolitano (SNZ producer) "Philadelphia" Jerry Ricks Pat Sansone John Sinclair Paul Taylor Joe Tullos |
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Good article on crowd heckling, quotes by Jimbo from NC's News-Observer.
Real-Audio of all the tracks from Rosetta on the Mammoth site
