Brooks Run To The Ocean ...
common threads

Daniel Sproul, Jamie McLean, Cody Dickinson

The North Mississippi Allstars constantly expand their musical versatility by collaborating with other instrumentalists, songwriters, and bands. This is just one part of how they keep their music fresh and continually spread the boogie to wider audiences. At the same time, they inspire the people working with them which in turn creates new musical outlets that only aid the grand evolution of all music. This page is a place where we celebrate the common threads that tie the world of music together, consider this the online version of a jamband.

Jimbo Mathus | Olga | Seven Acres | Jamie McLean | Rose Hill Drive |
Bob Frank

Watch DDT (the NMA's punk band) jam with Shawn Lane from 1995
--------
Watch the NMAs jam with John Hiatt, 2006.

---

JIMBO MATHUS knows:

As far as I'm concerned, Luther and Cody are the best musicians alive today, and they just seem to be getting better all the time. God bless Mississippi and pass the antiseptic.

Jimbo Mathus
www.knockdownsouth.net
www.jimbomathus.net

---

OLGA feels it:

The Allstars give me the gooood blues.
I love hearin' them, and it's been fun to play too!

Olga (blues babe)
www.laolga.com
Olga's JMH Foundation

---

a friendly note from SEVEN ACRES:

We had a great time working with Chris and he's been a great friend since we first met... He's got that perfect blend of fun and professionalism when he's working that is apparently working well for him in this business. We have always thought his style and ability would fit perfectly and it was proven when he began creating bass parts that blew us away right there on the spot.

Seven Acres
www.sevenacresband.com

---

JAMIE MCLEAN, guitarist for the DDBB:

Check out more photos of Jamie with the Allstars at Jamie's official site!

I've had the pleasure of watching, touring, hanging, recording and playing with the North Mississippi Allstars over the last few years. Without a doubt these guys are the coolest, most rocking, most humble, most kick ass, most gracious and all around nicest people I've met in the music business. Period. They go out of their way to make you feel comfortable. They also kick more ass on stage than anybody in the scene right now.

As a guitar player I was obviously drawn to Luther's raging leads, soulful slide and authentic dirty south blues. Luther is the real deal. One of my favorite guitarists for sure, not to mention one of the sweetest cats around. He took me aside on many occasions to show me specific tunings, slide parts, and old Mississippi blues tunes while on our Shake, Holla and March tour. Didn't have to. He wanted to. We would sit up on the tour bus late at night jamming and joking and just having fun. No hang ups. No BS. On the last night of the tour Luther gave me the acoustic guitar that he had been using on the bus during our jams. I just couldn't take it from him. It seemed like way too much of a gift so I left it on the couch. As I got up to go he grabbed me and said "For real man, I want you to have it. Gotta have something to play on the Dirty Dozen bus." Just one example of the generosity and good heartedness these guys are dishing out.

As far as the music. DAMN. There's nothing else like it. These guys took something so real and so much a part of them, the Mississippi Blues, and made it their own. Say what you want about some other bands. No soul. No history. These guys couldn't have more soul or be more a part of a musical history and also be taking it into the next stratosphere. I've just released and started touring under my own name, and these guys were the ones who really encouraged me to do it. Luther found out I could sing and encouraged me to sing more. I never considered myself a slide player but he always said "I got it" and now I've got a new album full of vocals and slide. Go Figure. They were also the first band to allow me to get my band playing on a big stage when I opened up for them at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC.

Cody, Chris, Luther. Love you guys. It's felt like family from Day 1. Keep kicking so much ass. I hope to see ya on stage again one of these days.


MP3 - Home Movies
From Jamie's solo album, This Time Around

Jamie McLean
www.jamiemclean.com
www.dirtydozenbrass.com

---

ROSE HILL DRIVE Speaks:

"NMAS are one of the best touring bands out there; we feel super fortunate to play with them whenever possible. They are a Psychedelic Sex Machine!"


MP3 - Drinking Muddy Water
w/Daniel Sproul of RHD on Luther's Flying V
Charlottesville, VA 2/4/05


Rose Hill Drive
www.rosehilldrive.com

---

A Special word from BOB FRANK:

These boys are the real McCoy. They play the real authentic music. They are in the direct lineage of the Blues Masters. The music was passed down from hand to hand. From heart to heart. From mind to mind. A solid connection. With no missing links. They got it straight from the current living Masters of this kind of music.

You can't touch that.

And to have them play some of my songs was a great honor and a great blessing for me.

Power to the people.

World boogie is coming.

Squeeze it easy.

Bob Frank
www.bobfranksongs.com
Keep On Burning, 2002