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.
Freedom Highway
North Mississippi Allstars Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Marching on the freedom highway
Marching each and every day
Marching on the freedom highway
Marching each and every day
I made up my mind, and I won't turn around
There is just one thing that I can't understand about friends
Why some folks think freedom is not designed for all men
There are so many people living their lives perplexed
Wondering in their minds what's gonna happen next
Marching on the freedom highway
Marching each and every day
Marching on the freedom highway
Marching each and every day
I made up my mind, and I won't turn around
I made up my mind, and I won't turn around
Found dead people in the forest (Alternate lyrics: You got your brothers and your sisters in the choir room)
Tallahatchie river and lakes
The whole wide world is wonderin' what's wrong with the United States
Yes we want peace if it can be found
We're gonna stay freedom highway, we're not gonna turn around
And do you (do you) do you think I voted for the right man
Who said we will over come
I march the freedom highway until the day is done
Marching on the freedom highway
Marching each and every day
Marching on the freedom highway
Marching each and every day
I made up my mind, and I won't turn around
I made up my mind, and I won't turn around
I'm gonna keep on marching on the freedom highway
And I'm not gonna turn around
The song "Freedom Highway" by North Mississippi Allstars is a cover of the famous song of the same name by The Staple Singers, written by Roebuck "Pop" Staples. The lyrics of the song talk about marching on the "freedom highway" each and every day, not turning around, and never giving up hope for a better future. The song encourages listeners to push forward in their fight for freedom and equality, no matter what obstacles they may face.
In the first verse, the singer makes up his mind that he won't turn around, even in the face of adversity. The second verse suggests that despite progress made towards a more just society, there are still many people who don't think freedom is for everyone. The singer then describes the confusion and uncertainty that many people feel about their future. The chorus repeats the idea of marching on the freedom highway, with determination not to turn back.
The third verse speaks to the many struggles that people have faced in their pursuit of freedom, including finding dead bodies in the forest and struggling to find peace in a divided world. The singer declares that despite these challenges, they will continue to march on the freedom highway until the day is done. The song ends with a final defiant declaration that the singer will keep marching, and they will not turn around.
Overall, "Freedom Highway" is a powerful song that encourages listeners to stay committed to their vision of a more just and equal society. It acknowledges the challenges and setbacks that can make that journey difficult, but ultimately, it affirms that the journey is worth taking.
Line by Line Meaning
Marching on the freedom highway
Continuing to work towards freedom and equality
Marching each and every day
Working tirelessly without stopping
I made up my mind, and I won't turn around
Determined to never give up or give in
There is just one thing that I can't understand about friends
Confusion that some friends don't believe in true freedom for everyone
Why some folks think freedom is not designed for all men
Wondering why some believe certain individuals are not meant to have freedom
There are so many people living their lives perplexed
Many people are confused and uncertain about their future
Wondering in their minds what's gonna happen next
Uncertainty towards the future
Found dead people in the forest
People being killed in the name of freedom and equality
Tallahatchie river and lakes
Places where violent acts have taken place in the struggle for freedom and equality
The whole wide world is wonderin' what's wrong with the United States
Other countries are puzzled about the problems faced by the United States
Yes we want peace if it can be found
Desire for peace and calmness
We're gonna stay freedom highway, we're not gonna turn around
Will continue to work towards freedom regardless of obstacles and setbacks
And do you (do you) do you think I voted for the right man
Questioning whether or not the political leader supported would lead to achieving true freedom
Who said we will over come
Leaders who promised they would help people overcome injustices
I march the freedom highway until the day is done
Continuing to work towards freedom and equality until the very end
I'm gonna keep on marching on the freedom highway
Will never stop striving towards freedom and equality
And I'm not gonna turn around
Will not give up or give in despite any challenges faced
Contributed by Mia W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.