Artist: Bobby Rush
Hometown: Born in Homer, LA; currently resides in Jackson, MS; Also known for his years in Chicago, IL.
Song: “Always on My Mind"
Album: Chicken Heads: A 50-Year History of Bobby Rush
Release Date: November 27
Label: Omnivore Recordings
In Their Words: "Because I like country-western, I love it. In love with the slang, stories, and the twang. Like Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson … 'Walk the Line.' I listened to WLAC, then I listened to all the country and western stations that were in my neighborhood — just local radio stations — and I listened to Roy Acuff and all that stuff … the Grand Ole Opry. My favorite song was a country-western song that went, 'You get the hook and I'll get the pole, baby. You get the hook and I'll get the pole. We'll go down to the crawdad hole.' I was the kind of child who, when I heard a song, if I liked the song, I put myself in the song. I could see myself with a fishin' pole — which I learnt later, he wasn't talkin' 'bout a fishin' pole — but to me, as a child, I know about fishin', I know about the pole, I know about the crawdad hole, and the crawfish and mud and what have you. I related to it in that way. I found out when I got grown, he wasn't talkin' about fishin' at all. But as a child, you relate to what you know about." — Bobby Rush
Photo courtesy of Bobby Rush
