His style of modern electric blues was marked by its hypnotic modal guitar rhythms, backwoods singing style and nocturnal lyrics. He was a long-time associate of labelmate R.L. Burnside and the Burnside and Kimbrough families often collaborated on musical projects.
Junior Kimbrough was born in Hudsonville, Mississippi and lived in the North Mississippi Hill Country near Holly Springs. Kimbrough began playing guitar in his youth, and counted Lightnin' Hopkins as an early influence. In the late 1950s he began playing in his own style, which made use of mid-tempo rhythms and a steady drone he played with his thumb on the bass strings of his guitar. This style would later be cited as a prime example of regional north hill country blues. His music is characterized by the tricky syncopations between his droning bass strings and his mid-range melodies. His soloing style has been described as modal and features languorous runs in the mid and upper register. The result was described by music critic Robert Palmer as "hypnotic". In solo and ensemble settings it is often polyrhythmic, which links it explicitly to the music of Africa. Fellow North Mississippi bluesman and former Kimbrough bassist Eric Deaton has suggested similarities between Junior Kimbrough's music and Malian bluesman Ali Farka Touré's.
In 1966 Kimbrough traveled to Memphis, Tennessee from his home in North Mississippi and recorded for the R&B/gospel producer and owner of the Goldwax record label, Quinton Claunch. Claunch was a founder of Hi Records (whose entire catalog will be reissued by Fat Possum) and is known as the man that gave James Carr and O.V. Wright their start. Kimbrough recorded one session in one afternoon at American Studios. Claunch declined to release the recordings, deeming them too country. Forty some years later, Bruce Watson of Big Legal Mess Records approached Claunch to buy the original master tapes and the rights to release the recordings made that day. These songs were released by Big Legal Mess Records in 2009 as First Recordings. Kimbrough's debut release was a cover version of Lowell Fulson's "Tramp" released as a single on independent label Philwood in 1967. On the label of the record Kimbrough's name was spelled incorrectly as Junior Kimbell and the song "Tramp" was listed as "Tram?" The b-side was "You Can't Leave Me".
Among his other early recordings are two duets with his childhood friend, rockabilly musician, Charlie Feathers in 1969. Feathers counted Kimbrough as an early influence and Kimbrough gave Feathers some of his earliest lessons on guitar. Charlie Feathers called Kimbrough "the beginning and end of all music." This is written on Kimbrough's tombstone outside his family's church, the Kimbrough Chapel Missionary Baptist Church near Holly Springs.
Kimbrough recorded very little in the 1970s, contributing an early version of "Meet Me in the City" to a European blues anthology. With his band, the Soul Blues Boys, Kimbrough recorded again in the 1980s, releasing a single in 1982 ("Keep Your Hands Off Her" b/w "I Feel Good, Little Girl"). The High Water label recorded a 1988 session with Kimbrough and the Soul Blues Boys, releasing it in 1997 with his 1982 single as "Do The Rump".
Beginning around 1992, he operated a juke joint known as "Junior's Place" in Chulahoma, Mississippi, which attracted visitors from around the world, including members of U2 and The Rolling Stones. Kimbrough's sons, musicians Kinney and David Malone Kimbrough, kept it open following his death, until it burned to the ground on April 6, 2000.
Kimbrough came to national attention in 1992 with his debut album, All Night Long. Robert Palmer produced the album for Fat Possum Records, recording it in a local church with Junior's son Kent "Kinney" Kimbrough (aka Kenny Malone) on drums and R. L. Burnside's son Garry Burnside on bass guitar. The album featured many of his most celebrated songs, including the title track, the complexly melodic "Meet Me In The City," and "You Better Run" a harrowing ballad of attempted rape. All Night Long earned near-unanimous praise from critics, receiving four stars in Rolling Stone. His stock continued to rise the following year after live footage of him playing "All Night Long" in one of his juke joints appeared in the Robert Mugge directed, Robert Palmer narrated film documentary, Deep Blues: A Musical Pilgrimage to the Crossroads. This performance was actually recorded earlier in 1990.
A second album for Fat Possum, Sad Days, Lonely Nights, followed in 1994. A video for the album's title track featured Kimbrough, Garry Burnside and Kent Kimbrough playing in Kimbrough's juke joint. The last album he would record, Most Things Haven't Worked Out, appeared on Fat Possum in 1997. Following his death in 1998 in Holly Springs, Fat Possum released two posthumous compilation albums of material Kimbrough recorded in the 1990s, God Knows I Tried (1998) and Meet Me in The City (1999). A greatest hits compilation, You Better Run: The Essential Junior Kimbrough, followed in 2002. Fat Possum also released a tribute album, Sunday Nights: The Songs of Junior Kimbrough, in 2005, which featured Iggy & The Stooges (Kimbrough once toured with frontman Iggy Pop), The Black Keys and Mark Lanegan. The Black Keys have released an album composed entirely of covers of Junior's music, Chulahoma. Richard Johnston, a Kimbrough protégé, keeps this musical tradition alive with one of Junior's sons, via live performances on Beale Street in Memphis.
Junior Kimbrough died in 1998 following a stroke. He was the father of 36 children from various relationships.
I Gotta Try You Girl
Junior Kimbrough Lyrics
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No matter what you say
No matter what you do girl
I gotta try you girl...
Baby, I got to try you girl
We got to make love baby...
I gotta try you babe
No matter what you say girl
No matter what you do baby
I gotta try you baby
Come on...
I gotta try you girl
No matter what you do or say
No matter what you do girl
I gotta try you baby
Baby
Let's make love girl
And this is what she said:
She said : Mister Guy
Don't you know your mimes
And I said to her, I said:
I got to try you baby
Girl
Let's make love baby
Let's make sweet love babe
Look at here
I gotta try you babe
No matter what you say babe
No matter what you do
I gotta try you babe...
I gotta try you girl
No matter what you say babe
No matter what you do girl
I gotta try you babe
Oh baby
Let's make love girl
One more time she said:
Mister Guy
May you know your mimes
And I said: I got to try you girl
We gotta make love baby
We gotta make love
Like we never been loved before
That's why I gotta try you babe
You know I gotta try you babe
No matter what you do girl
No matter what you say
I gotta try you baby just one more babe
I've goota try you girl
Let me try you girl
Look at here
Let me try
Let me try
Let me try you
Let me try
The lyrics of Junior Kimbrough's 'I Gotta Try You Girl' convey the urgency and persistence with which the singer wants to pursue a woman he desires. He is so deeply infatuated with her that nothing she says or does will change his mind about wanting to be with her. He believes that their chemistry is undeniable; thus, he insists that they make love. The woman, however, seems hesitant, and possibly uninterested in him, and rebuffs him by saying, "Mister Guy, don't you know your mind."
Despite her indifference, the singer refuses to give up and reiterates his desire to try her, to make sweet love with her. He is insistent, and his longing for her is so intense that he can't help but pursue her relentlessly. Even after the woman questions him again, he persists with the same message, declaring that he has "gotta try" her, and nothing she says or does will change his intent.
Overall, 'I Gotta Try You Girl' is a story of unrequited love, where one party is so captivated and bewitched by the other that they are willing to go to all lengths to prove their love. The singer is persistent, passionate, and determined in his pursuit of the woman he desires, even after facing rejection.
Line by Line Meaning
I gotta try you girl
I cannot resist the urge to explore our physical intimacy
No matter what you say
Your verbal objections will not deter me from attempting to engage in sexual acts with you
No matter what you do girl
Your physical resistance will not diminish my desire to experience sexual pleasure with you
Baby, I got to try you girl
I feel an undeniable need to experiment with sexual relations with you
We got to make love baby...
Our physical connection is essential for satisfaction and fulfillment
Come on...
I implore you to succumb to our carnal desires
Let's make love girl
We should engage in a physical relationship
And this is what she said:
She responded to my proposition
She said : Mister Guy
She addressed me formally as Mister Guy
Don't you know your mimes
She questioned my awareness of non-verbal communication
I gotta try you babe
I am compelled to initiate physical contact with you
Let's make sweet love babe
We should engage in a tender and romantic physical exchange
Look at here
Listen to what I have to say
One more time she said:
She reiterated her objection
May you know your mimes
She again called into question my understanding of non-verbal cues
We gotta make love baby
We must fulfill our sexual desires
Like we never been loved before
We should engage in a passionate and intense sexual encounter
You know I gotta try you babe
I cannot resist the urge to engage in physical intimacy with you
Just one more babe
I implore you to allow me one more attempt to initiate physical contact
Let me try you girl
Allow me to explore the possibility of physical intimacy with you
Let me try
I request permission to initiate physical contact with you
Let me try you
I implore you to allow me to engage in a physical relationship with you
Contributed by Allison M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Emiliano Cruz
One of the Best tracks of junior the king of blues and daft punk Edit the same song with longer version
revRecluse
The sleaziest guitar tone ever.