Ben Payton
Ben Wiley Payton, 62, grew up with the Mississippi blues. The Coila, Miss. native listened to his grandmother, Mabel Johnson, playing gospel music on piano, and his uncle, Joe Birch, …
Piano Man's Exit Leaves a Void
I first met Jim Dickinson in the mid-1980s, when I was writing editorials about the Memphis music industry for The Commercial Appeal in an effort to revitalize the local music …
Kelly Pates
If you've lived in Jackson for a few years or more, chances are you've heard the Patesa family roots-rock bandperform at local clubs, bars, festivals and other venues in the …
Johnny Bertram
With the Tuesday release of "Sing your Song," musician Johnny Bertram dished out a seven-song prelude to a full-length album scheduled to debut later this year.
Ya Heard Me?
From Africa to America, everyone around the world has a story to tell, and more and more every day this story is being told through the medium of hip-hop.
Sweatin' Suits
After performing at a local venue in Monroe, La., one night a few years ago, I quickly rushed my drums off stage to make way for the next band. Before …
[Herman's Picks] Vol. 7, No. 47
Martin's welcomes Mississippi newcomers this Thursday night. Milton Menasco & the Big Fiasco are a Bozeman, Mont.-based rock/soul three-piece band with a passion for funk and reggae. Listen to their …
'Southern Female Attitude'
Songs by Athens, Ga.-based band Drive-by Truckers run the gamut from "stories of corruption, crime and killing" (as Mike Cooley's "Cottonseed" puts it) to modern tales of the Iraq War …
Metallic Melodies
Light spills through the large windows of the open, predominantly bare room in the Commons Gallery. Brown paper covers the walls, lending a crafty, unfinished look to the space. The …
[Rob In Stereo] Not Loud Enough
You need three main ingredients to make a great rock documentary: great music, lively stories and musical emotiveness from those playing.
Red Hot Tamales
On July 19, 2008, the JFP Chick Ball was in full force when a group of lovely ladies took the stageupright bass, fiddle, guitar and ukulele in tow. For 20 …
[Herman's Pick] Vol. 7, No. 45
The weekend starts early this week with lots of fun options for Thursday night. T-Bird and the Breaks bring the blue-eyed-soul-meets-'60s-funk to Ole Tavern, and jazz/funk trio LBC play at …
Funk Evolution
While some bands these days slap on a guitar or two and find someone to play drums, Austin-based T-Bird and the Breaks realized it needed more to complete its sound.
[Rob In Stereo] The Man In The Mirror
I recently had an hour to kill in the airport, so I indulged myself and picked up a few tabloid magazines inundated with Michael Jackson stories. In the weeks following …
Delta Rockabilly Pioneer Keeps Rolling
Rockabilly Mac Allen Smith's musical education began in the 1940s when he was a small boy visiting his grandfather's home outside Carrollton.
