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Iconic and raw exponent of Mississippi Hill Country blues, known for his hypnotic guitar rhythms, powerful vocals, and unconventional approach to the blues tradition.John R. Johnson, universally known as RL Burnside, was born in Mississippi in 1926.He learned guitar from Mississippi Fred McDowell and developed a deeply personal style rooted in the rhythmic, droning sounds unique to the North Mississippi Hill Country.After a period working in Chicago, he returned to Mississippi, farming and playing local juke joints for decades.His music remained largely regional until the late 1980s and 1990s, when recordings by ethnomusicologist George Mitchell and later for the Fat Possum label brought him international acclaim.His later career saw surprising collaborations and remixes, blending his raw blues with electronic elements.

• His music was heavily influenced by field hollers and African-American work songs, distinct from the more common 12-bar Delta blues structure.
• Tragedy struck early: his father, brother, and two uncles were murdered within a year of each other when Burnside was a young man.
• He served time in Parchman Farm prison for killing a man in self-defense during a card game argument.
• Despite his raw, traditional sound, he embraced late-career experimentation. His 1996 album 'A Ass Pocket of Whiskey' (recorded with The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion) and the remix album 'Come On In' (1998) brought his music to alternative rock and electronic audiences.
• He died of heart failure on September 1, 2005, in Memphis, Tennessee.