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.
Rollin 'n Tumblin
North Mississippi Allstars Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well, I rolled and I tumbled, cried the whole night long
Well, I woke up this mornin', didn't know right from wrong
Well, I told my baby, before I left that town
Well, I told my baby, before I left that town
Well, don't you let nobody, tear my barrelhouse down
Well, if the river was whiskey, and I was a divin' duck
Well, I would dive to the bottom, never would I come up
Well, I could a had a religion, this bad old thing instead
Well, I could a had a religion, this bad old thing instead
Well, all whiskey and women, would not let me pray
"Rollin 'n Tumblin" by North Mississippi Allstars is a song that centers around a lovelorn narrator who's lamenting about his state of mind after experiencing hardship. The song begins with the singer admitting to having "rolled and tumbled," which is often used as a metaphorical expression to denote feelings of distress or turmoil. Here, it is used to signify the constant emotional upheaval that the singer is going through. He cries the whole night long, emphasizing the depth of his sorrow. He wakes up the next morning, unsure of what to do or how to feel, which underscores the mental and emotional disorientation he's experiencing.
The second paragraph talks about the singer telling his partner not to let anyone tear down his barrelhouse. A barrelhouse was a term used to describe a crude, makeshift bar. This line shows that the singer is not just concerned about his own feelings but also about preserving the places and things that he prizes. The third paragraph compares the singer's state of being to that of a diving duck in a river of whiskey. The metaphor suggests that the singer is drowning in his sorrows and that nothing can save him from his present state of distress.
The final paragraph describes how the singer could have had a religion, but instead, he chose to pursue alcohol and women. The line "All whiskey and women would not let me pray" underscores the idea that the singer is so far gone that he has lost sight of his morals, values, and faith. It's a bleak snapshot of the singer's current state of mind, which leaves listeners to contemplate the consequences of such a descent into darkness.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I rolled and I tumbled, cried the whole night long
I was restless and emotional all night, rolling and tumbling in bed and crying.
Well, I woke up this mornin', didn't know right from wrong
I woke up confused and unsure about what to do.
Well, I told my baby, before I left that town
I warned my partner before leaving the town.
Well, don't you let nobody, tear my barrelhouse down
I pleaded with my partner to ensure that no one destroys my precious space.
Well, if the river was whiskey, and I was a divin' duck
If the river was full of whiskey and I were a diving duck,
Well, I would dive to the bottom, never would I come up
I would dive deep into the river and never resurface.
Well, I could a had a religion, this bad old thing instead
I could have had a religious belief, but this negative habit took over instead.
Well, all whiskey and women, would not let me pray
My love for whiskey and women kept me from being able to pray, regardless of any religious beliefs I may have had.
Contributed by Wyatt S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Paul Markwell
Covers are ok
But you need to see me for the real thing
I got songs you never though of
It’s no play man
The devil called the other night
Press my luck
I am switching to plastic chouchi
Elwood said don’t be late
Good love is hard to find
Papa told me
Boy you can’t handle what you got
That girl of waits in the floor naked for me to get home
Drain all the strength out of that little man
Now papa I seen it all
She is out looking for more
When she left I almost thanked her
Papa said boy you can’t handle it
She got to hit both holes north and south
Papa said you can’t handle it
Now the neighbors know
Papa said was right
The fire burns hatter but she is gone
Let somebody else hit that my little is dead
Davida Andrea Bumgarner
Excellent rendition of a great blues classic. I enjoyed this as much as Spiderbait's rendition of Ghost Riders in the Sky
Jimmy James
That's some good stuff! Excellent video! Got the blood pumpin through these 84 tear old veins!
Lorraine Garrett
Study these guys! Their Dad is James Luther Dickerson. Produced Wild Horses in Muscle Shoals with the Stones. They were graced by God to grow up in North Mississippi, a suburb of Memphis, across the fence from Othra Thomas and R.L. Burnside. They are carrying forth this music... Luther, Cody, Sharde Thomas, Cedric Burnside. It's still happening.
Robert McAllister
Perfectly stated.
WickleinGroup
Love the style, cinematography and direction of this. Well done.
Joel Gregorio
Génial ! Quel son ! Belle façon de revisiter ce grand classique !
Bo Livingston
I saw the NMA July 27 -19 at PEACEMAKER MUSIC Festival. They put on a HELL of a show. They played this song here. Awesome band. I will go see them again
Shang Hunter
As R.L. would sing it, union man blows the whistle, fireman be ringing his bell. Love R.L.'s version. Great job !
Charlie Jones
These guys are awesome. Going to see them on 12/29/2018, will let you know how the show was!
MrGoldenhigh
hahaha a homemade 2 string rework of muddy water...man you guys are really nailing it with this album guys cant wait to buy this album!