Junior Kimbrough facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Junior Kimbrough
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Kimbrough in 1995
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | David Kimbrough Jr. |
| Born | July 28, 1930 Hudsonville, Mississippi, United States |
| Died | January 17, 1998 (aged 67) Holly Springs, Mississippi, United States |
| Genres | Cotton Patch Soul Blues, Hill country blues, juke joint blues |
| Instruments | Guitar, vocals |
| Labels | Fat Possum Capricorn Records |
David "Junior" Kimbrough (born July 28, 1930 – died January 17, 1998) was an American blues musician. He was known for his unique guitar style. Some of his most famous songs are "Keep Your Hands off Her" and "All Night Long".
Contents
Early Life and Unique Music Style
Junior Kimbrough was born in Hudsonville, Mississippi. He grew up in the northern part of Mississippi, near Holly Springs. His father was a barber who also played the guitar. Junior started playing guitar when he was a child. He was inspired by other guitarists like Lightnin' Hopkins and Mississippi Fred McDowell.
In the late 1950s, Kimbrough started playing the guitar in his own special way. He used a steady, low sound called a "drone" with his thumb on the bass strings. This style became a key part of what is known as hill country blues. His music often had tricky, off-beat rhythms. Music critics described his sound as "hypnotic" because it could make you feel like you were in a trance. His music also had different rhythms playing at the same time, which connects it to music from Africa.
His Music Career
In 1966, Kimbrough went to Memphis, Tennessee, to record music for Goldwax Records. The owner, Quinton Claunch, decided not to release the songs because he thought they sounded too much like country music. Many years later, in 2009, these early songs were finally released as an album called First Recordings.
Kimbrough's first song released to the public was a new version of "Tramp" by Lowell Fulson in 1967. It was released on a small record label called Philwood. His name was even spelled wrong on the record! He also recorded some songs with his childhood friend Charlie Feathers in 1969. Kimbrough had given Feathers some of his first guitar lessons.
Junior Kimbrough didn't record much music in the 1970s. But in the 1980s, he recorded again with his band, the Soul Blues Boys. They released a song called "Keep Your Hands off Her" in 1982. In 1987, Kimbrough played his first show in New York City.
Gaining Fame
Kimbrough became much more famous after a video of him playing "All Night Long" appeared in a film called Deep Blues: A Musical Pilgrimage to the Crossroads. This video was filmed in 1990 at a "juke joint" he opened. A juke joint is a place where people gather to listen to music, dance, and socialize.
In 1992, Kimbrough released his first album, All Night Long. This album was recorded in his juke joint in Chulahoma. His son, Kent Kimbrough, played the drums, and R. L. Burnside's son, Garry Burnside, played the bass guitar. Critics loved the album, and it even got a great review in Rolling Stone magazine.
After this album, his juke joint started to attract visitors from all over the world. Famous musicians like members of U2, Keith Richards, and Iggy Pop came to see him play. Junior Kimbrough and his family often worked on music projects with the family of fellow blues musician R. L. Burnside.
Later Albums
Kimbrough released another album called Sad Days, Lonely Nights in 1994. A music video for the main song on the album showed him playing in his juke joint. His last album released before he passed away was Most Things Haven't Worked Out in 1997.
After his death, his record label, Fat Possum, released more of his recordings. These included God Knows I Tried (1998) and Meet Me in the City (1999). A collection of his best songs, You Better Run: The Essential Junior Kimbrough, came out in 2002.
His Life and Legacy
Junior Kimbrough passed away in 1998 in Holly Springs. He was 67 years old and died from a heart attack after a stroke. He is buried near his family's church. His friend, the musician Charlie Feathers, once said that Kimbrough was "the beginning and end of all music." This special message is written on Kimbrough's tombstone.
How His Music Lives On
Junior Kimbrough's music continues to inspire many artists. In 2005, a tribute album called Sunday Nights: The Songs of Junior Kimbrough was released. It featured bands like Iggy & The Stooges and The Black Keys. The Black Keys also released two EPs (shorter albums) of Kimbrough's songs, Chulahoma: The Songs of Junior Kimbrough and Delta Kream. The album Sweet Tea by Buddy Guy also uses a lot of Kimbrough's style.
Kimbrough's sons, Kinney and David Malone Kimbrough, are also musicians. They kept Junior's Place, the juke joint, open for a while until it sadly burned down in 2000. His sons continue to play his music and keep his unique style alive.
Albums and Films
Albums by Junior Kimbrough
- First Recordings (recorded in 1966, released in 2009)
- All Night Long (1992)
- Sad Days, Lonely Nights (1993, released 1994)
- Do the Rump! (1997)
- Most Things Haven't Worked Out (1997)
- God Knows I Tried (1998)
- Meet Me in the City (1999)
- You Better Run: The Essential Junior Kimbrough (2002)
- Introducing Junior Kimbrough (2021)
Tribute Albums
- Sunday Nights: The Songs of Junior Kimbrough (2005)
- The Black Keys, Chulahoma: The Songs of Junior Kimbrough (2006)
Films About Junior Kimbrough
- Deep Blues: A Musical Pilgrimage to the Crossroads (1992)
- You See Me Laughin': The Last of the Hill Country Bluesmen (2003)
See Also
- Robert Belfour
- RL Burnside
- T-Model Ford
