R.L. Burnside’s son Garry moved to Ripley, Mississippi in Tippah County a few years ago, and since that time, he has become a major fixture on the city’s music scene, organizing an annual Burnside Music Festival. The city government has reciprocated by creating a Blues Alley where works of art commemorate the great musicians of the Hill Country Blues.
While last year’s festival was called the Burnside Blues Festival, this year the name was changed to Burnside Music Festival to accommodate other styles of music, but there was still plenty of blues. In a repeat of last year’s event, this year’s festival was threatened by rain, but there were no downpours. This year had far more vendors and food trucks, and a larger crowd gathered to hear such performers as Mark “Muleman” Massey, Tate Moore of the Kudzu Kings, Garry Burnside, Kent Burnside and Luther Dickinson. It was especially good to see legendary Hill Country drummer J. J. Wilburn, who is back to performing after some health struggles.
No bad weather or bad feelings came to mar the proceedings, and hopefully the Burnside Music Festival will continue for many years to come.