ABOUT THE ARTIST

Cedric Burnside, 2022 Grammy Award winner, three-time nominee, and 2021 NEA National Heritage Fellow, stands as one of the most important torchbearers of the Hill Country Blues tradition. Born into the legacy of his grandfather, the legendary R.L. Burnside, Cedric has forged his own path as a drummer, guitarist, singer, and songwriter, blending deep-rooted traditions with his own contemporary voice.

Burnside’s latest album, Hill Country Love, follows his Grammy-winning I Be Trying (2021) and represents a new level of artistic growth. Recorded in a former legal office in his hometown of Ripley, Mississippi, the album captures the raw, resonant energy of the space—wooden walls, scattered boards, and all. With longtime collaborator Luther Dickinson producing, Burnside and his band laid down 14 songs in just two days. The result is a record that’s both deeply personal and firmly rooted in Hill Country Blues, while also exploring new creative directions.

For Burnside, Hill Country Love is about honesty and resilience. “Life gives you good and life gives you bad,” he says. “My way of coping with things is through my music, so I thank the Lord for music.” Songs like “Juke Joint” pay tribute to the places where he grew up learning the music firsthand, while “Closer” offers spiritual reflection. The record also stretches into rock, R&B, and hip-hop grooves, showing Burnside’s ability to carry tradition forward without losing its essence.

His career began early—at just 13, he was on the road drumming for his grandfather, learning the heartbeat of Hill Country rhythms from the inside out. His first solo projects, Descendants of Hill Country (2015) and Benton County Relic (2018), both earned Grammy nominations and established him as a force in contemporary blues. Alongside his albums, Burnside has appeared in films such as Big Bad Love (2001), Black Snake Moan (2006), and most recently played the title role in Texas Red (2021).

Recognition has followed Burnside at every step. In addition to his Grammy and NEA Fellowship, he received the 2024 Mississippi Governor’s Award for Excellence in Music, the state’s highest artistic honor. His collaborations span genres and generations, from blues great Bobby Rush to rock icons like Jimmy Buffett and jam-band favorites Widespread Panic.

At the core of Burnside’s music, however, remains the sound of Hill Country Blues, pioneered by his grandfather R.L., Junior Kimbrough, Jessie Mae Hemphill, and Otha Turner. With its hypnotic grooves, polyrhythms, and call-and-response drive, this music has deep ties to West African traditions—a connection Burnside came to recognize firsthand when introduced to the music of Ali Farka Touré. While he pushes the sound forward, he remains firmly grounded in its roots.

“I have to be true to where I’m coming from,” Burnside says. “Whether I like it or not, that old feel is always in me. My music may sound modern at times, but it’s really just me growing up around it and falling in love with that sound.”

With Hill Country Love, Cedric Burnside continues not only to honor his family’s legacy but also to define the future of the blues.