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Family Ties: North Mississippi Allstars return for a Savannah Music Festival Encore

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Family Ties: North Mississippi Allstars return for a Savannah Music Festival Encore


Roots music is not just about emulating the sounds and aesthetics of traditional American tunes. After 25 years, 12 albums, four Grammy Award nominations, and numerous sold-out concerts, North Mississippi Allstars have consistently shown that the “roots” that inform their Hill Country blues grow out of a strong connection to the people and cultures of their home state, as well deep family bonds. 

North Mississippi Allstars (NMA) was founded by brothers Luther (guitar/vocals) and Cody (drums/keyboards/vocals) Dickinson in 1996. Luther and Cody are the sons of legendary Memphis record producer and musician Jim Dickinson. Although NMA’s line-up is constantly shifting, as second-generation musicians, Luther and Cody tend to find chemistry with other players that come from musical families. 

“Most of my closest friends and collaborators are second-generation musicians,” said Luther. “We speak the same language and fall easily into the flow.”  

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Making music with family and friends in their orbits

For their latest album, Set Sail, NMA recruited bassist Jesse Williams and singer Lamar Williams Jr. Jesse comes from a family of musicians, having played with his father and brothers, and Lamar is the son of Allman Brothers bassist Lamar Williams Sr. Luther and Cody met Lamar Jr. at an Allman Betts Family Revival and became fast friends and collaborators. 

“Musicians’ lives are like orbits with gravitational pulls,” explained Luther. “We meet musicians out on the road, and our records reflect whose orbits we are intersecting with at that time.” 

When NMA recorded Set Sail they had just begun working with Jesse and Lamar as the pandemic hit. The bandmates continued to record the album from afar, sending the music back and forth from their respective home studios.  

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“I had new songs and we found solace in collaborating on recording them during the quarantine,” said Luther.  

The family element on Set Sail was also enhanced by some vocals from Luther’s two daughters. Speaking of his daughters, Luther recently released a solo album of lullabies and sing-alongs for children (that adults can enjoy, too) called Magic Music for Family Folk

“As a touring musician I initially recorded these songs that I had learned from my father so my kids could listen, learn and sing along with me while I was out on tour,” said Luther. “I burned a CD for my kids to keep them company while I was working. The concept grew from there.” 

Luther and Cody have separately produced albums for artists like Lucero, Samantha Fish, R.L. Boyce, Amy Lavere, the Birds of Chicago, and Ian Segal. Although they learned a lot from their famous father, the Dickinson Brothers have developed their own identities and styles as producers.  

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Luther has recently been inspired by the philosophies of other legendary producers. 

“Rick Rubin taught me to let the lyrical form be free and not constricted to rhyme schemes and syllable count and patterns,” explained Luther. “Playing with Phil Lesh (Grateful Dead), I studied the songs of [Jerry]Garcia and [Robert]Hunter and realized that the music is designed to suit the lyrics and melody, not the other way around. These two concepts were very liberating in finishing the songs on Set Sail.  

“Quincy Jones explained in his book that he won’t allow a singer to record with a lyric sheet. He insists a singer internalize a song before recording. I recorded the basic tracks of Set Sail with an acoustic guitar, drum beat and my lyric book only for reference. Not reading the lyrics but singing them from the heart and even improvising new lyrics on the mic was very inspiring. It seems simple but I grew up with the habit of a lyric sheet.” 

NMA appeared alongside fellow Mississippi artists at the Savannah Music Festival in 2022 as part of the “Voices of Mississippi” presentation by folklorist Dr. William Ferris. While NMA maintain a reverence and guardianship of the music that comes out of Mississippi, they still find ways to incorporate rock, Delta blues, folk, psychedelic, jam, soul, jazz, and rap into their sound in a way that pushes the music of their home ever forward.  

“Roots Music has to evolve and adapt to survive,” said Luther. “We have always blended our influences and natural instincts into our style, in a casual way. We have never strived to be overtly old fashioned but more primitive modernists. Playing songs that we learned from our family and community, be it our dad or RL Burnside feels like an act of communion. The elders were so helpful to us, we have to keep up our end of the deal and keep the songs alive. Sharde Thomas keeps her grandfather Otha Turner’s music alive, as well as the Burnside family, the Kimbrough family, not to mention many others.” 

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If You Go >>

What: SMF Encore presents North Mississippi Allstars 

When: 8 p.m., Jan. 20 

Where: Victory North, 2603 Whitaker St. 

Cost: $35 

Info: savannahmusicfestival.org 

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Mississippi

Mississippi doctors encourage people to avoid heat-related illnesses

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Mississippi doctors encourage people to avoid heat-related illnesses


HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WHLT) – Temperatures are soaring across Mississippi.

“It’s really bad. I am melting. I mean, the humanity just swamps over you quickly,” said Vickie Barfield, who lives in Hattiesburg.

The high humidity and a heat index of 110 made it feel even hotter. Logan Bryant, who works in construction, said the heat makes for a hard day on the job.

“Well, being that I work outside, it makes you sweat a lot worse. So whenever it’s humid outside, it’s just uncomfortable,” he said.

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During the high temperatures, doctors said people should stay indoors between the hours of noon and 2:00 p.m., limiting activity to the evening and morning. If you have to be outside for an extended period, you should take precautions.

“We want to make sure before we ever go outside that we’re already hydrated, already taking care of ourselves and being prepared. When we are planning on going outside with sunscreen, with bottled water, to make sure that we’re not letting ourselves get too hot,” said Dr. Grace Gable with Forrest General Hospital.

Gable said not taking preventative measures during a heat wave can cause serious medical conditions, including heat exhaustion.

“The signs of that include being really confused, feeling really hot. If you check a temperature, it might be as high as 104 degrees. Your pulse may be really fast. You might feel your heart racing and feel really dizzy. When that happens, we definitely want you to move into some AC if possible. If you are not able to make it inside the AC, make sure to get in the shade,” she said.

If you begin to feel dizzy and disoriented, call 911. Heat exhaustion can be fatal if left untreated.

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Crews rescue woman from Mississippi River

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Crews rescue woman from Mississippi River


FOUNTAIN CITY, Wis. (WEAU) – Late yesterday afternoon crews responded to calls about a woman in the Mississippi River.

According to a news release from the Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office, on June 24 around 4:15 p.m., dispatch received calls about a woman impeding traffic on Highway 35 in Fountain City, Wis.

The release says that prior to deputies arriving, it appeared the 60-year-old woman entered the Mississippi River intentionally.

Fountain City Fire Department helped law enforcement with its rescue boat.

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The woman was downstream about a half mile from where she entered the water. She was returned to shore and evaluated before being transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and further mental health evaluation.

The sheriff’s office urges the public not to swim in the Mississippi River until water levels and dangerous currents go down.



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Who’s on the Mount Rushmore of Mississippi State football wide receivers?

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Who’s on the Mount Rushmore of Mississippi State football wide receivers?


To get through the offseason, we’re putting together the “Mount Rushmores” of Mississippi State football. We’ve set out backfields with the Mount Rushmores of both MSU quarterbacks and running backs.

Now, we move onto the pass-catchers. Here’s the Mount Rushmore of Mississippi State wide receivers…

There’s one receiving talent that stands out above the rest at Mississippi State, and that’s Eric Moulds. No other Bulldog pass-catcher has had the combination of size, speed, and dominant athleticism as Moulds.

As a freshman, Moulds caught 17 passes for 398 yards and four TDs. Those numbers would be upped to 39 catches for 845 yards and seven TDs in 1994. He’d close his college career with 62 for 779 and six TDs in 1995 before being a 1st round pick by the Buffalo Bills in the 1996 NFL Draft.

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Eric Moulds would spend 12 seasons in the league, four times going for over 1000 yards and three times being named a Pro Bowler.

Mississippi State’s current WR coach happened to be one of the players responsible for turning around Bulldog football under Dan Mullen. A 4-star recruit out of Tupelo, Chad Bumphis proved to be a star in the making, leading the team in receiving as a true freshman in 2009.

In 2010 in became a true go-to target with 44 catches for 634 yards and five TDs. His numbers dipped in 2011, but he’d rebound better than ever the next year. As a senior, Bumphis caught 58 passes for 922 yards and a school-record 12 TDs.

Chad Bumphis is the all-time MSU leader in receiving TDs with 24 and is second in career yards at 2,270.

The first 1000-yard receiver in MSU history needs to make Mount Rushmore. In 1978, Mardye McDole caught 44 passes for 1,035 yards and seven TDs, earning All-SEC honors. That yardage total would stand as the single-season record at State all the way until 2021.

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McDole pass-catching numbers would dip significantly as a junior and senior, but that’s because new HC Emory Bellard implemented his Wishbone attack. Within that offense, McDole frequently lined-up as a RB. He’d post 727 yards of total offense and six TDs in 1980, again being named All-SEC. Despite the change in usage, Mardye McDole still ranks third in all time receiving yards at State with 2,214.

You’d expect at least one WR from the greatest era of offense in Starkville to make Mount Rushmore. Fred Ross’ put together some of the best pass-catching seasons in State history during his career. After a quiet freshman season, Ross would make noise with five TDs during MSU’s incredible 2014 season.

As a junior, he’d become just the second 1000-yard receiver at State with a then school-record 88 catches for 1,007 yards and five TDs. Ross would go for another 917 yards as a senior and tie Chad Bumphis with 12 TD catches.

Fred Ross was named 1st Team All-SEC in both 2015 and 2016. He owns the career receiving record at MSU with 2,538 yards and is tied for second in career TDs with 22.



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