John Primer

Grown in Mississippi

Blues House Productions

Alfonso “John” Primer was born in Camden, Mississippi, in 1945. He was born on sharecropper land and grew up working in the fields. Primer migrated to Chicago with his mother in 1963. His blues career began on Maxwell Street, playing for tips. Primer got his first gig at Teresa’s Lounge, located at 48th and South Indiana Avenue, where he became a regular. Primer played guitar in Willie Dixon’s Chicago Blues All-Stars and in The Muddy Waters Band. He later joined Magic Slim and the Teardrops. Primer was nominated multiple times for Traditional Blues Male Artist at the Blues Music Awards, first winning in 2016. Primer was also the lead vocalist, guitarist, and featured artist on the Grammy-nominated “Muddy Waters 100” project. Overall, Primer is a three-time Grammy nominee. This is Primer’s twentieth album.

This new album, “Grown in Mississippi,” is produced by Michael Frank of Earwig Music, it is co-produced by Steven Hausheer; and engineered, mixed and mastered by Gary Vincent at the Clarksdale Soundstage in Mississippi, and recorded on various dates in 2023 and 2024. Half of the songs are Primer  originals while the other half are selected covers.

The album opens with a field holler “John’s Blues Holler” as Primer shouts “Work all day long until the evening comes…I’ll be so tired”. On “Born in Mississippi” with Primer playing slide guitar he sings “I was born down in Mississippi, raised on a  sharecropper farm…didn’t know where my next meal was coming from…I had to keep on workin’ until my job was done”.

On the first cover “Blues Before Sunrise” written by Leroy Carr and recorded by Ray Charles in 1950; Michael Dehart aka Deak Harp plays harmonica; while Billy  Earhart plays piano, as Primer cry’s “I had blues before sunrise, tears pouring  from my eyes…I’m gonna take my bags and leave you, and break up my happy  home”. “Down In The Bottom” written by Willie Dixon, features Watermelon Slim on Dobro, and Earhart on piano; as Primer chimes “well, meet me in the bottom …well, I’m jumpin’ out the window, I got no time to lose”.

‘Walkin’ Blues” was written by Muddy Waters, with 2nd guitar from Steve  ‘Lightnin’ Malcolm and drums played by Lee Williams, as Primer sings “well I  woke up this morning…feel like going back home…I’ve been mistreated I don’t mind cryin”. “Nothin’ But A Chicken Wing” is a tribute to the Chitlin’ Circuit with Bobby Rush on harmonica as Primer groans “gotta put some hot sauce on it so you can feel the pain…nothin’ but a chicken wing”. On “A Better Day” Earhart  plays piano and organ, while the harmonica is played by Steve Bell (Harrington) “passin’ my time away, I’m hoping and praying there will be a better day…just keep on trying, if you keep on trying there will be a better day”.

“When I Met The Blues” includes some great guitar from Primer, with 2nd guitar from ‘Lightnin’ Malcolm, and drums by Williams, “when I first caught the blues, I was a long ways in Chicago, well I’m so glad the blues won’t ever let me go”.  “Baby Please Don’t Go” was written and recorded by Big Joe Williams in the early 1940’s, with Charlie Musselwhite on harmonica, as Primer sings “baby, please don’t go, down to New Orleans ’cause I love you so…turn your lamps down low, baby please don’t go…oh, your man done gone to the county farm, he’s got his shackles on”.

On “Let Me Be Your Electrician” written by Iverson Minter, the Dobro is again played by Watermelon Slim, with Steve Bell again on harmonica, “let me be  your electrician baby, gonna turn your power off and on”. Jimmy Reed’s “Shame, Shame, Shame” again features Musselwhite on harp “well its shame, shame, shame, the way you do, well its shame, shame, shame, shame on you, well I’ll be sittin’ waitin for you to come home, well it’s a shame, shame, shame”.

The traditional “Lay My Burdens Down” includes Eden Brent, organ and piano; and bass by Gary Vincent. The vocal is by Aliya Primer, with tambourine by Rosalind Wilcox as Aliya sings “glory, glory, haleluyah, since I lay my burdens down”. On “Ain’t Kickin’ Up No Dust” Deak Harp is back, “I ain’t kickin’ up no dust…on my way back home, I’m gonna stop by the grocery store, I’m not  kickin’ up no dust…I’m just takin’ my time, I ain’t kickin’ up no dust, I’m just draggin’ my feet”. The closer “John’s Crawdad Song” includes some Jew’s harp from Gary Vincent “you get a line and I’ll get a pole, let’s go down to the  crawdad hole…honey, baby, mine”.

On “Grown In Mississippi”, Alfonzo “John” Primer once again proves that he is one of the last real bluesmen; taught by the masters, he is the real deal. Sit back and enjoy this fabulous performance.

Richard Ludmerer
Contributing Editor/Making A Scene

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