Today would have been the 96th birthday of hill country blues pioneer and icon, R.L. Burnside. I remember the first time I heard R.L. Burnside in my early discovery of hill country blues along with folks like Fred McDowell (who Burnside learned from) and being floored. It quite literally changed my life and I would not be who I am today without hearing those driving rhythms and timeless guitar licks for the first time. He was, has been and still is one of my biggest influences today and his songs are still some of my favorites to play whether on stage or at home. Also pretty early on I was fortunate enough to become friends with his grandson @cedric.burnside - I learned a lot by sitting in with him at his shows, opening shows for him, and even spending time in Mississippi with him. He has carried on with the hill country blues tradition and even won himself a Grammy for it. His songs have also been a huge influence on me, and it’s been an honor to call Cedric a friend - he’s pictured here in the other photos from over the years since I started playing this music. Long live the Hill Country Blues. 📸 2: @photogfromthevalley 📸 5: Joshua Shelton • • • #rlburnside #cedricburnside #hillcountryblues #hillcountry #mississippi #mississippihillcountryblues #fredmcdowell #burnside #mississippimusic #slideguitar #opentuning #brettbenton #southernraised #southern #southernmusic