R.L. Burnside (1926-2005)-See My Jumper Hanging
R.L. Burnside was born in Harmontown, Mississippi, in
Lafayette County. He spent most of his life in North Mississippi, working as a
sharecropper and a commercial fisherman, as well as playing guitar at weekend
house parties. He was first inspired to pick up the guitar in his early
twenties, after hearing the 1948 John Lee Hooker single, "Boogie
Chillen".
He learned music largely from Mississippi Fred McDowell, who
lived nearby in an adjoining cou received little recognition before the early
1990s. In the latter half of that decade, Burnside recorded and toured
with Jon Spencer, garnering crossover appeal
and introducing his music to a new fan base in the punk and garage rock scenes.. He also cited his cousin-in-law, Muddy
Waters, as an influence.
