9th Annual NMSHCP Continues Celebration of Hill Country Blues

Now in its ninth year, the North Mississippi Hill Country Picnic is June 27-28, 2014 and hosted by Betty Davis BBQ.
The two-day festival takes place in the rolling hills of Marshall County and will run from 4:00 p.m. on Friday the 27th until after midnight on Saturday June 28th.
Bette Davis is located at the corner of Highway 7 and Highway 310, just 12 miles south of Holly Springs and 15 miles north of Oxford, in Waterford, Mississippi.
This year’s festival lineup features Hill Country musicians Kenny Brown, Cedric Burnside, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Duwayne Burnside, Rocket 88, Re. John Wilkins, Garry Burnside, Eric Deaton, David Kimbrough, George McConnell, Tate Moore, Cary Hudson, Bill “Howl-N-Madd” Perry, Rising Star Fife and Drum Band and many more.
About NMSHCP
The festival is the brainchild of Potts Camp, Miss. resident and acclaimed bluesman Kenny Brown, who has witnessed first-hand the worldwide appeal and influence of Hill Country Blues through his long tenure with R.L. Burnside and travels with his own band.
“I got to thinking about how much the music from this area has influenced so many,” Brown said. “And although there are a lot of festivals around, no one was focusing on real Hill Country Blues.”
Everyone he mentioned it to thought a new festival was a great idea. This year, NMSHCP started a new band sponsorship program and will be welcoming two bands from out of state to perform: “Stringbean and the Stalkers” from New Jersey and “The Bush League” from Virginia. These bands worked hard to secure their own hometown sponsors to help them make the journey to the NMSHCP.
Their involvement demonstrates a real love for the music and helps spread the word nationally of the NMSHCP’s mission.
The Artists Village has grown substantially and features fantastic regional crafts. Organizeres are also very proud of the success of the annual raffle contest. Picnic attendees enjoy donating prizes and the funds raised go toward great local causes. For example, last year’s raffle monies helped pay for the late T-Model Ford’s funeral and headstone.
“We have just added a second stage to the campground area,” Brown said. “An old cotton trailer has been converted to accommodate acoustic shows.”
The stage will offer non-amplified music on Friday June 28 from 12 to 4 p.m. and Saturday June 28 from 9 to 11 a.m.
Grammy Award-winning artist Alvin Youngblood Hart will be the first artist to play on the acoustic stage. Eager, volunteer musicians who want to share their love of Hill Country Blues have filled the other acoustic time slots.
Prior to the festival, a hands-on guitar workshop will be held for interested individuals to develop their musical skills and broaden their knowledge of roots music. Instructors Garry Burnside, Cary Hudson, Bill Abel, and Eric Deaton will lead the 2014 workshop on Thursday, June 26th. Further information on the workshop is available on the Picnic website at www.nmshillcountrypicnic.com.
Tickets to the NMSHCP are available at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/north-mississippi-hill-country-picnic-tickets-9717747043
For more information, visit NMSHCP on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/nmshillcountrypicnic and on Twitter at @DontBeSoEvil for latest news and updates!

Tate Moore /Photo credit: Candise Kola

Kenny Brown /Photo credit: Candise Kola