Mississippi Fred McDowell

Musician

Forblues fans, slide guitarists, students of american roots music
2 Reviews 0 Definitions 10 Charts

The Profile

Born January 12, 1904 in Rossville, Tennessee; self-taught guitarist who moved to Como, Mississippi; recorded by Alan Lomax in 1959; influential North Mississippi hill country bluesman; died July 3, 1972.

Known for his bottleneck slide technique and raw, nasal voice; pivotal 1959 field recordings by Alan Lomax; influenced later North Mississippi blues musicians such as R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough; his song "You Gotta Move" was covered by the Rolling Stones.

Two DeBaser reviews celebrate Fred McDowell's raw North Mississippi hill country blues, his piercing bottleneck slide and expressive voice. Reviewers emphasize the importance of the 1959 Alan Lomax recordings and later studio work. The reviews highlight tracks such as "Worried Mind Blues", "You Done Tol' Everybody" and "61 Highway" and note his influence on R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough.

Notable Quotes

❝ "I don’t play rock'n'roll, just raw and naked blues." (Mississippi Fred McDowell)

❝ «Fred was surprised when he noticed I admired his music so much that I visited him for several nights to record everything he played. He kept telling me he didn’t play like the other musicians he knew. In my opinion, he’s simply a modest man because the great blues tradition runs pure and deep within him, and no note in any performance lacks a sweet touch of melancholy.»