The North Mississippi Allstars bring it all back home with their Hill Country celebration Prayer for Peace. Read Luther Dickinson’s thoughts on the band’s milestone anniversary, past, present and future. 

It Was 20 Years Ago Today… 

Last year was our 20th anniversary, and we started recording Prayer for Peace in that spirit. The first session was at Royal Studios in Memphis, and the first song we played was [Hill Country pioneer and NMA mentor R.L. Burnside’s] “Miss Maybelle.” We didn’t plan on recording that song— we just started playing and fell into such an easy groove. What you hear there was the first take—the first time we ever played that song. That’s about as raw as it gets. Boo Mitchell co-produced half the record with my brother Cody and me. And the rest we recorded on the road.

We had a great session with Oteil [Burbridge]. He was on his way to Colorado; we were coming into New York. We spent two hours jamming on this country vibe and that became “Prayer for Peace.” I did the lyrics for “Prayer for Peace” on a blues cruise. I was trying to write a song for Buddy Guy from his perspective.

Electric Ladyland is one of our favorite albums. “Voodoo Chile”—the jam session and the studio vibe—is what we always aspire to. Recording on the road really helps because there’s a perpetual motion, that kinetic energy a band gets when they’re on the road that you can’t fake. If you only play on weekends, then you can’t really conjure up that orbit of being on the road, being spontaneous.

Keeping It Primitive 

The initial inspiration for the Allstars was to play this regional repertoire that we were surrounded by in the ‘90s, but I totally abandoned that as soon as I got the opportunity to make our second record, 51 Phantom, which just stinks of original material. I shot myself in the foot with that. I’m 44—all the elder Mississippi guys are gone, including my dad and his friends. Now, I feel it’s my responsibility to protect the repertoire, the legacy. I’m not trying to sound old-fashioned— the trick is to try to sound as modern as possible. That will perpetuate the repertoire. [Blues veteran] Seasick Steve got me back on the right path. He just shook me and was like, “I know who you are. You have to bridge the gap between your Southern, rootsy upbringing and the newer generation.” I was like, “You’re right! I’m sorry!” [Laughs.] I came back to this old country repertoire with totally open arms. I used to avoid playing “You Got to Move” because it was popular. How self-defeating is that? It’s the anthem of the Hill Country blues!

The More The Merrier 

R.L. taught me the repertoire back in ‘97, taught me how to tour. Kenny Brown and Cedric Burnside and I would open up the show, and then R.L. would play and I would get to sit in with him. The repertoire’s been in my back pocket, but it never really came to fruition. When we got set up in Royal Studios that day, it just came to life. I always wanted the band to be a collective. We’re playing gigs where there’s no bassist there, but a second drummer—we just played New York City and had a second drummer and a bassist and, sometimes, it just comes down to the duo. I talked to Chris [Chew] the other day. He’s doing good now— he’s healthy and happy.

Young Rascals

Phil Lesh started hiring us. Watching him and [his son] Grahame work together really warmed our hearts. Grahame has really come into his own, man; he’s on fire. It was a pleasure to invite Grahame to sing “Bid You Goodnight.” We learned that song from our dad, not the Grateful Dead, but I thought of Grahame when we were working on the vocals. I did not grow up learning the repertoire and Phil would bring me to Terrapin and teach me his music by hand. It’s so much like [Mississippi blues pioneer] Junior Kimbrough, like my dad. I wish we could have brought our dad to Terrapin and got those rascals together.

I’m Just Dead, I’m Not Gone

We finally got my dad’s book that he wrote by hand, I’m Just Dead, I’m Not Gone, out. We released a live album, too—it’s Jim with the Allstars. I miss playing with dad so much. He was such a great rock-and-roll piano player. A couple years ago Tommy Stinson [bass player for The Replacements, whose Pleased to Meet Me record was produced by Jim] started bringing me up to his sessions in Hudson, N.Y, where he lives. He records like we record— fast, raw first impressions. It was hard because I haven’t played any power-pop music— melodic, funk pop—in a long time. So I was really hanging on; it was a test. But I made the cut. I’m on about half the record and my friend Steve Selvidge finished the record and is doing the road work with Tommy. We grew up together, his dad and my dad were in a band together.

Outside Out

One of the saddest things about Col. Bruce Hampton dying is that Duane Trucks and AJ Ghent are the last generation of cats that The Colonel will train. We grew up watching Beanland and Aquarium Rescue Unit and there’s a major trip involved. We were listening to Jimi Hendrix and the Allman Brothers, but we were watching Oteil, Jimmy Herring, The Colonel and Jeff Sipe way before they got big. The Colonel gave me some of the best advice that changed my life. Most of it is rules for being in his band that I can’t adhere to. He would have fired me years ago—he had strict, military rules. You can’t take a drink of water. You can’t flirt with girls. You can’t let yourself get distracted in any way. But the one thing that’s huge is, whether it’s 10 people or 10,000 people, don’t let that intimidate you or frustrate you because that’s only your ego fucking with you. He was like, “You have to train yourself to go into your zone and move into the realm of the music no matter where you are, no matter when it is and no matter who is watching you.” He took the opposite way all the way out. It was amazing.

When I turned 40, I realized that I had accomplished most of my childhood dreams, being a rock-and-roll guitar player. I’ve played every venue you could imagine. The question then is, “How do you expand your parameters to dream bigger?” So, that’s what I’ve been working on. I’m working on a musical. I’m working on a multimedia book and presentation. I’m working on a record for kids. I’ve been trying to open my mind and expand my parameters of ambition.