R.L. Burnside
Brought up in a dirt-poor region of Lafayette County in the deep south, Robert
Lee Burnside began playing guitar at the age of 16, influenced by local church
music and the fife and drum picnics which are a major part of the regional music
culture. Burnside uprooted and moved to Chicago, following his father who moved
there as an economic migrant. His short time in the city was marred by tragedy -
in the space of three years his father, two brothers and two uncles were all
murdered, prompting Burnside to return south.
In the 1950s Burnside was convicted of murder and imprisoned...
