Jessie Mae Hemphill: Biography

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• Junior Kimbrough
• R.L. Burnside
• Mississippi Fred McDowell

• Sonny Boy Williamson

• Valerie June

• Othar Turner

Born:

Jan 1, 1934 in Senatobia, MS

Genres:

Blues Music, Country Blues Music, Delta Blues Music, Electric Blues Music

Decades Active:

1960's|1970's|1980's

Artistic Quality

Low

Cultural Impact

Low

Ratings Guide

A Mississippi singer/guitarist, Jessie Mae Hemphill weaves strong Delta traditions into her idiosyncratic style. Hemphill comes from a musical background -- reportedly, her grandfather was recorded in the fields by Alan Lomax in the '40s. Jessie Mae learned how to play guitar as a child by watching her relatives perform. Throughout the '60s and '70s, she sang with various Mississippi bar bands. In the early '80s, she decided to pursue a solo career.

Hemphill began playing solo dates, supporting herself only with an acoustic guitar and percussion. In 1981, she released her debut album, She-Wolf, on the European record label, Vogue. In 1987, her first American record, Feelin' Good, was released. In 1987 and 1988, she won the ~W.C. Handy Award for best tradtional female blues artist. Hemphill abandoned a recording career after the late '80s, but she continued to perform into the '90s.

- Cub Koda Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide