North Mississippi Allstars is an American rock/blues jam band from Hernando… Read Full Bio ↴North Mississippi Allstars is an American rock/blues jam band from Hernando, Mississippi, founded in 1996. The band is composed of brothers Luther Dickinson (guitar, vocals) and Cody Dickinson (drums, keyboards, electric washboard), and Chris Chew (electric bass guitar). Duwayne Burnside, who formerly played second guitar in the band, is a son of R.L. Burnside (who has also played on some of the band's tracks).

The Allstars' first release, Shake Hands With Shorty, was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Contemporary Blues Album". Since then, 51 Phantom and Electric Blue Watermelon have received nominations in that same category. The group also won a Blues Music Award for "Best New Artist Debut" in 2001.

The band has been the backing band for John Hiatt, including appearing on the album "Master of Disaster".

All the members of the Allstars have also teamed up with Robert Randolph and John Medeski to form The Word.

In November 2007, Luther Dickinson joined The Black Crowes as lead guitarist, and has appeared on their albums Warpaint (2008), Before the Frost...Until the Freeze (2009) and Croweology (2010). Luther Dickinson currently devotes his time to both the Black Crowes and the North Mississippi Allstars. Cody Dickinson has also started a side project, Hill Country Revue, featuring Daniel Coburn, Kirk Smithhart, Doc Samba and Ed Cleveland. They are sometimes joined by Luther Dickinson and members of the Burnside family. They have released two albums, Make A Move (2009) and Zebra Ranch (2010),

The mid-90s were a special time for modern Mississippi country blues. RL Burnside, Jr. Kimbrough, Otha Turner and their musical families were at their peak; touring the world, making classic records and doing the all-night boogie at Jr's Juke Joint and Otha's BBQ Goat picnics -- the music and the culture rich as the black Mississippi dirt. Brothers Luther and Cody Dickinson soaked up the music of their father, Jim Dickinson, and absorbed the North Mississippi Blues legacy while playing and shaking it down at the juke joints with their blues ancestors. Luther (guitar and vocals) and Cody (drums and vocals) joined up with bassist Chris Chew to form the core of their own band, The North Mississippi Allstars. Through the filter of generations of Mississippi Blues men, the Allstars pioneered their own blues-infused rock and roll and continue to do so.

The band hit the road with the release of their first record, Shake Hands With Shorty, Grammy-nominated for “Best Contemporary Blues Album.” Bringing their hill country blues-infused rock & roll to stages all over the country and the world (including multiple tours in Europe and Asia), the Allstars quickly gained a loyal fan base, and to date have released six full-length albums. The bands’s third record, Phantom Record also received a Grammy nod.

Electric Blue Watermelon, their third album to receive a Grammy nomination, embodies the Allstars’ own sound. It reflects the band’s old times and lives growing up in their musical community in North Mississippi. “The record holds to the folk tradition of oral history,” as Luther Dickinson puts it. “Electric Blue Watermelon celebrates the lives and legends of men who are folk heroes in my community. If the traditions are passed down and kept alive, they can’t help but mutate and change.” Electric Blue Watermelon is certainly a departure from the blues tradition, but it is a record that reaches in the future and back into the past. It’s loud psychedelic southern folk rock blues.

Down In Mississippi
North Mississippi Allstars Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Far back as I can remember
Either had to plow or
Carry that ole full sack
Down to the old turn road
Down in Mississippi, down in Mississippi
Down in Mississippi where I come from
Down in Mississippi where I belong
Way down!

They have a hunting season on the rabbit
Shoot him, boy, and you're sure gonna go to jail
Hunting season is always open on men
Nobody needs no bail
Down in Mississippi, down in Mississippi
Down in Mississippi where I come from
Down in Mississippi where I belong
Way down!

Ain't nothing I got against Mississippi
Also is the home of my wife
You know I feel just like a lucky man
Get away with my life
Down in Mississippi, down in Mississippi
Down in Mississippi where I come from

Down in Mississippi where I belong
Way down!

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to the North Mississippi Allstars' song "Down in Mississippi" depict the experiences and challenges of growing up in the state. The song speaks to the hardworking nature of those who live in Mississippi, as the singer recalls having to plow or carry a heavy sack down to the turn road. The lyrics also touch on the harsh realities of life in Mississippi, alluding to the hunting season on the rabbit and the fact that hunting season on men is always open (suggesting a lack of justice or fair treatment for African Americans in the state).

Despite these challenges, the singer acknowledges a deep connection and affection for their home state, noting that Mississippi is also the home of their spouse. The singer appears to feel lucky to have made it out with their life intact, suggesting that perhaps Mississippi is not always kind to its residents.

Overall, the lyrics of the song paint a picture of a complicated and often difficult existence in Mississippi, while simultaneously celebrating the deep roots and loyalty that many feel towards the state.

Line by Line Meaning

Far back as I can remember
For as long as I can recall

Either had to plow or
I was always tasked with either plowing the fields or

Carry that ole full sack
Carrying a heavy and full bag of crops

Down to the old turn road
Taking it down the road to be sold or traded

Down in Mississippi, down in Mississippi
In the state of Mississippi, where I am from

Down in Mississippi where I come from
In my hometown of Mississippi

Down in Mississippi where I belong
Where I feel at home and belong

Way down!
Deep in the heart of Mississippi

They have a hunting season on the rabbit
Rabbits are commonly hunted in the area

Shoot him, boy, and you're sure gonna go to jail
However, if caught hunting illegally, you may face consequences

Hunting season is always open on men
Sadly, violence towards other humans is also present