At 85 years old, Bobby Rush has been playing his brand of lovably raunchy, acoustically crunchy, and soulfully rowdy blues for over six decades.
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Starting from his days as part of the Southern migration from his hometown of Homer, Louisiana, to the South Side of Chicago — where he used to have Muddy Waters himself sub for him when he couldn’t do a gig — Bobby Rush, who won his first Grammy at the humble age of 83, has no plans of slowing down.
Zach talks to Texas Swamp Blues legend Tony Joe White. Sadly, Tony Joe passed away suddenly on October 25. Host Z. Lupetin was fortunate to speak with him at a hotel diner in Hollywood back in September about his storied career as a songwriter, guitarist, and touring musician.
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Song – “Bad Mouthin” (Courtesy of Yep Roc Records)
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
