03-05-2025
RiverBeat delivers the blues with all-star Mississippi musicians including Bobby Rush
Grammy-winning Memphis music producer Lawrence 'Boo' Mitchell recently showed the world how the blues is done, recruiting an all-star team of musicians to work on the record-breaking horror blockbuster "Sinners."
The Royal Studios owner did it again on May 2, assembling an all-star lineup of Mississippi blues musicians to deliver a blues performance like no other at RiverBeat Music Festival at Tom Lee Park in Memphis.
The lineup for the Royal Studios Blues Experience featured blues legend Bobby Rush, Kinney Kimbrough and Duwayne, Garry and Kent Burnside, among others.
The 91-year-old Rush, who contributed harmonica to the soundtrack of "Sinners," moved and grooved on stage like a man half his age, performing songs like 'Hoochie Man,' 'You're Gonna Need A Man Like Me' and a more recent song, 'Who Was That' from his January album "Young Fashioned Ways," which he recorded with blues rock guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd.
Donned in a shining blue and grey jacket (appropriate for Memphis), Rush made his way across the stage with his harmonica, engaging with each guitarist and egging them on into complex solos of their own.
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He addressed the crowd directly as he ended his set.
'Keep the blues alive,' Rush said. 'If you don't like the blues, then you probably don't like the harmonica.'
The performance lacked fluff — before Rush's appearance, the Burnsides and their bandmates commanded the stage with electric energy. Blues musicians often make it look easy, and this was no exception — the casual way each performer individually took over with complex guitar solos boggles the mind.
The six-man band (which turned into seven when Rush arrived) was made up of four guitarists, a bassist and drummer. The guitarists differentiated themselves in their style of play — Duwayne Burnside performed as you would expect from a lead guitarist, shredding his strings, while Kent Burnside opted for thumb picking.
While the performance did not draw nearly as large of a crowd as Ludacris did on a neighboring stage, for the people gathered to watch Rush and company perform, blues remains a special genre that's just impossible not to enjoy.
Lead guitarist Duwayne Burnside said it best as his brother completed a magnificent solo.
'If you don't like that, you got a hole in your soul.'
Jacob Wilt is a reporter for The Commercial Appeal covering DeSoto County, as well as Dining in the Memphis area. You can reach him at
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Bobby Rush dazzles at Memphis RiverBeat during all-star blues set
