JAMES KINDS

Love You from the Top

2011-05-25

James Kinds learned to play guitar as a youngster in Mississippi, and later moved to Chicago, as many bluesmen did before him. What James did that was against the grain was to wind up in Dubuque, Iowa and hold court week after week as the resident blues guru at a place called the "Mississippi Mug," earning an induction into the Iowa Blues Hall of Fame. He always had the blues-making stuff, but always flew under the radar until Chicago blues label Delmark decided to give the man his due. James's jangly-guitar blues and pleading tenor vocal give him a distinctive sound--check out the title track, "Oo Wee Baby," "Body Slam" and "I Can't Take It." He basically tells his life story in "Mason Dixon Line Blues." Who knew the blues was alive in Dubuque? 05/11 MJVD B-Electric (Chicago) TRACKS #3 and #15: After 10 p.m.

Quick Links:

• James and his band bringin' it in Dubuque
• All About Jazz review of the record