Junior Kimbrough

David "Junior" Kimbrough, quite possibly the most important blues guitarist of the second half of the 20th century, redefined blues. Junior's approach to music was so hugely different from anything that came before him that he ranks among the three greatest bluesmen of all time: Son House, Bukka White, and Fred McDowell. An originator, Junior did more than build on a certain tradition or style. Junior re-imagined the blues; he made a sound for himself.



Junior couldn't remember the exact date he deliberately set out to create music but knew the reasons. He was still a young man and had gone as far as he could go at the John Deere dealership he had taken up work with. If Junior was gonna make his mark in the world, he'd have to do it with a guitar. Up until then he'd been playing the same country blues standards, as well as the contemporary hits of Little Milton and Albert King, in the same jukes and clubs that his long-time friend and rival R.L. Burnside played. And then Junior stopped playing covers and stopped taking requests. Determined not to become just another "entertainer" or "performer," Junior realized playing covers only helped the composers or the artist who first recorded the song. He wasn't going to help anybody, ever again. From then on, Junior would play Junior.



He never gave up his rural habits, like throwing parties every Sunday night with his furniture dragged out in the yard so more people could fit. Before long, he had to rent a one-bedroom apartment to get a break from the chaos he'd started at home. Junior's old house became more than a club. It was an entity: it was Junior's Place--and without help from any signs or telephones, locals gathered on Sunday nights to drink and dance. Junior understood music, and had a gift for songwriting. During this time he began developing the music that was first recorded in the mid-'80s for a Memphis State single.



Unfortunately, Junior didn't release his first album until 1992, when he was 62, but when he finally made his first album, All Night Long (produced by Robert Palmer for Fat Possum Records), the world took notice. Rolling Stone was the first to acknowledge Junior and awarded the album four stars. In addition to giving his music long overdue exposure, All Night Long gave the Fat Possum label hope. Unfortunately Junior, being in his sixties, as well as having various medical problems, was not physically able to tour now that he finally had the support of a record company. There were notable exceptions: a string of dates with Iggy Pop, and several tours with the Fat Possum Circus (a package deal). But the news traveled-- to hear Junior you had to go to Mississippi. Rock bands such as the Rolling Stones, Sonic Youth, and U2 made pilgrimages to Holly Springs to experience his club and hear Junior with his son Kinney Malone on drums and Garry Burnside on bass. Junior went on to record Sad Days, Lonely Nights, Most Things Haven't Worked Out and the posthumously released God Knows I Tried (all on Fat Possum). In addition to the 36 children he claimed, Junior had also put his brand on the blues.



Junior was 67 when died of heart failure on January 17, 1998 at Mildred Washington's (his companion of 30 years) apartment in the Holly Springs public housing project, watching TV on her couch. Junior Kimbrough still kept a one-room bachelor's apartment at the time of his death: immaculately clean, with nothing whatsoever on the walls or tables, no pictures, no tour posters, nothing. Junior knew what he had accomplished, and didn't need any souvenirs. RIP.