Blues legend’s grandson, Cedric Burnside, says blues has always been a way of life

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Blues legend’s grandson, Cedric Burnside, says blues has always been a way of life
By: Casey Phillips
timesfreepress.com

He’s a child of the modern age, but when it comes to playing the blues, Cedric Burnside’s approach is strictly old school.

Burnside was born into the blues. He grew up "kicking up dust" at weekly gatherings in Northern Mississippi to the music of his grandfather, legendary blues guitarist/ singer R.L. Burnside. By age 13, he was touring as a drummer in his grandfather's band.

The blues isn’t just a style of music but a way of life, Burnside said.

“I knew before I started playing professionally that I wanted to do it the rest of my life,” he said. “I listen to a little rap and a little funk - I like other music - but the blues is my life. I love it, and I’ll do it until I leave this world, just like my granddad.”

Burnside says he sometimes visits his grandfather’s grave and plays guitar.

About a decade ago, Burnside said, he met his future partner, guitarist/singer Steve “Lightnin’ ” Malcolm, who haunted the Burnside family’s shows for months before finally sitting in with them in Mississippi. The two teamed up professionally three years ago.

Burnside and Malcolm were to have performed Sunday on the Tennessee Valley Credit Union Stage at Riverbend. Tonight, they’ll close out the Bessie Smith Strut at Miller Plaza.

The duo produce a brand of music that infuses the blues with elements of other styles while still honoring the hill-country traditions Burnside grew up with.

Many young blues artists consider themselves part of the second generation of performers holding true to the work of the genre’s originators such as Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker. Thanks to Burnside’s years traveling with his grandfather to perform in juke joints all over the country, the link to the past is even more direct with Burnside and Malcolm.

“There aren’t a lot of people who do it like Malcolm and I do,” Burnside said. “I helped my granddad create a lot of this music.

“I might have been a young kid, but I helped create this music, so I like to think of myself as a part of the source.”

WHAT’S NEXT

The hill country blues duo Cedric Burnside and Lightnin’ Malcolm are working on their third album. They’ve composed more than a dozen songs, many of which were written collaboratively. They hope to release the project by late summer/early fall, Burnside said.

DID YOU KNOW?

Cedric Burnside landed a minor part in the Samuel L. Jackson movie “Black Snake Moan.” The movie’s producer wanted Burnside’s grandfather but weren’t aware he had died.

Before he teamed up with Lightnin’ Malcolm, Burnside performed in a blues band called Burnside Exploration with his uncle Duwayne Burnside.