Concert
Guitarist, singer and songwriter Duwayne Burnside is one of 14 children born to legendary North Mississippi Hill Country musician R.L. Burnside and his wife Alice. He learned his first few guitar licks and chords from his father, and soon thereafter began playing with local jook-joint owner Junior Kimbrough, another prominent exponent of Hill Country blues, and the Soul Blues Boys. From his home in Holly Springs, it's just a short drive to Memphis, where he soon had the opportunity to play with Little Jimmy King, Albert King, B. B. King, Bobby "Blue" Bland and others.
Later, Duwayne began playing in his dad's band, Sound Machine Groove, where he further honed his skills as a guitarist. He recorded with his father's band for Hightone and Fat Possum Records before moving to Memphis, where he opened his own club, Burnside Kitchen and Grill, near Highway 61. At the club, he booked bands, cooked food, sold beer and performed with his own band every week.
In 1998 Duwayne went to Los Angeles where he recorded his first album Live at the Mint under the name Duwayne Burnside & the Mississippi Mafia. He also worked closely with the Dickinson brothers, both as a guest and for several years a full member of their famous band, the North Mississippi All Stars. He recorded with them on their third album Polaris, appears on two of the band's EPs, and still performs with them today. In 2004, he returned again to his native Holly Springs right in the heart of an area where the blues are still very much alive in their original, essentially folkloric way of life. He opened another version of the Burnside Blues Cafe and formed a new band that combined soul blues with hill country blues.
Under his own name, he released the albums Live at the Mint (1998) and Under Pressure (2005), both on B.C. Records. Duwayne Burnside is helping to keep the North Hill Country style blues flourishing in Mississippi. He was nominated for a Blues Music Award in 2022 for his album Acoustic Burnside.