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.
One to Grow On
North Mississippi Allstars Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cause they're gonna try to run you through the ringer
Before you realize you been hung out to dry
Now, they don't know that I'm started to learn
You don't have to be down where the devil stays
For the bottom of your feet to burn
Here's one to grow on
Cold shoulder to cry on
Let your feelings show
Leave some room to grow
Until I go the distance between right and wrong
The road I've traveled beyond and long
Too much makes me want to give it all away
Give me something to ease the pain
All washed up, going down the drain
Hung out to dry, left out in the rain
Muster up the courage if I can't find the strength
I'm gonna shoot like a star on the horizon
When the moon sets the sun rises
Living the life I love, loving the life I live
Really makes me want to away
Loving the life you live, living the life you love
You make the most of everyday
Too much, too much, too much, too much
Too much, never enough
Too much, too much, never enough
Here's one to grow on
The North Mississippi Allstars' song One to Grow On is a song that cautions listeners to be wary of others who may try to make decisions for them. According to the lyrics, these people may come across as helpful at first but end up putting you in harm's way. The song advises individuals to learn to make their own decisions so they won't be taken advantage of.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the theme of growth and personal development. The lyrics advise people to let their emotions show and leave room for growth. The song acknowledges that the journey towards self-improvement isn't always easy but emphasizes the importance of perseverance. The line "living the life I love, loving the life I live" portrays the idea of finding fulfillment in one's personal journey. Overall, One to Grow On encourages individuals to trust themselves, believe in their own abilities and power through adversity to grow and develop.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't let 'em make up your mind for ya
Do not allow others to influence your decision-making process
Cause they're gonna try to run you through the ringer
Because some people will try to test you to see how strong or capable you are
Before you realize you been hung out to dry
Before you know it, you might be abandoned or left to fend for yourself
Now, they don't know that I'm started to learn
Other people might not be aware that you are becoming wiser or more experienced
You don't have to be down where the devil stays
You do not have to be in a bad place to experience negative or painful things
For the bottom of your feet to burn
You can feel discomfort or pain no matter where you are in life
Here's one to grow on
Here is a piece of advice that can help you improve or mature
Too much, never enough
The abundance of something can sometimes make it feel like it is not enough or leftover
Cold shoulder to cry on
Someone who is not sympathetic or who does not offer comfort or care when you are upset or sad
Let your feelings show
Allow yourself to express your emotions or true self
Leave some room to grow
Give yourself space for personal development or improvement
Until I go the distance between right and wrong
Until I can differentiate or distinguish between good and bad choices or actions
The road I've traveled beyond and long
The path I have taken has been far-reaching and lengthy
Too much makes me want to give it all away
An abundance can make me want to relinquish or abandon everything
Give me something to ease the pain
Offer me a way or a means to alleviate or reduce discomfort
All washed up, going down the drain
Feeling disheartened or having lost self-worth and becoming less relevant or important
Hung out to dry, left out in the rain
Being abandoned or disregarded in a difficult situation
Muster up the courage if I can't find the strength
Gathering the spirit or bravery to act when one feels weak or powerless
I'm gonna shoot like a star on the horizon
I am going to shine or stand out like a bright light on the distance
When the moon sets the sun rises
After one phase ends, another begins, often referring to cycles of life or time
Living the life I love, loving the life I live
Appreciating the lifestyle I have and enjoying it to the fullest extent
Really makes me want to away
Indeed makes me want to go away or leave the current situation
Loving the life you live, living the life you love
Emphasizing the importance of contentment and satisfaction with one's existence
You make the most of everyday
The key to happiness and fulfillment is seizing the opportunities each day brings
Too much, too much, too much, too much
Repetitive statement suggesting overwhelming or unmanageable sense of something
Too much, never enough
Describing the paradoxical feeling of having too much and feeling an insatiable hunger for more
Too much, too much, never enough
Repeating the paradoxical feeling to emphasize the intensity of it
Here's one to grow on
Repeating the advice stated in the beginning to reinforce the message
Contributed by Sophia M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.