Eric Deaton: Keeping Hill Country Alive
Eric Deaton: Keeping Hill Country Alive
A look into the influences of musician Eric Deaton and other Hill Country news
Welcome to the second edition of Killing the Blues. This week I interviewed Hill Country musician Eric Deaton.
Deaton started playing guitar at age 13 in North Carolina.
He originally was inspired by blues-influenced rock like The Rolling Stones, Allman Brothers Band, and Led Zeppelin. From there he discovered the music that influenced these bands like Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, and Howlin Wolf. After about a year of being interested in the blues, Deaton, like many aspiring Hill Country musicians, came across the seminal Alan Lomax film “The Land Where the Blues Began.” This was the first time Deaton heard the sounds of Hill Country musicians like R.L. Burnside, Napoleon Strickland, and Othar Turner.
“As I started getting more into it, started buying some records and reading up on who these guys were, and stuff, finding out that there was this separate scene from the Delta in Mississippi that was in the Hill Country,” he said. “And that, you know, key players were R.L. Burnside, Junior Kimbrough, Fred McDowell, the fife and drum bands, Jessie MaeHemphel, all that.”
After graduating high school, Deaton moved to Mississippi and started attending shows, primarily at Junior Kimbrough’s juke joint every Sunday night. Deaton began sitting in with Kimbrough, Burnside, David Kimbrough, Duwyane Burnside, and other local musicians.
“They really took me in, you know. And gave me lots of chances to learn and to play. It was an experience of a lifetime,” he said.
When Deaton first moved out to Mississippi he was just a guitar player, but soon picked up the bass.
“There was more need for a bass player than for another guitar player. That gave me a lot more chances to play, picking up bass behind those guys,” he said.
Deaton played at Kimbrough’s every weekend for about three years until Kimbrough’s health declined to the point he could no longer play.
“It wasn’t quite the same after he wasn’t there…Never been another place like it.”
Burnside and Junior were much older than Deaton. He described their relationship, “not as father figures, but as grandfather figures.” Burnside and Kimbrough played such a large role in Deaton’s musical upbringing that he began to spend a lot of time with their families. He is about the same age as Gary and Cedric Burnside and spent time with them driving around listening to music. Deaton described themselves as, “a little bit delinquent,” but he assured me that they never got into too much trouble.
Deaton’s experience with Burnside and Kimbrough is recognized on The Black Keys’ most recent album, Delta Kream. Deaton, alongside Kenny Brown, are featured on this album covering Kimbrough and Burnside songs. They also played with The Black Keys live this past fall on their “World Tour of America.”
Here’s what he told me about that:
“It was a quick little run of four shows. They were really kind of small venues for The Black Keys, but they were, you know, pretty big rooms compared to what I’m used to, some theaters and bigger clubs and what not. And it was great I love working with those guys, me and Kenny Brown played with them and you know Dan and Pat are such huge fans of the Fat Possum blues sound and the hill country guys, guys like T-Model all of that, you know, their huge fans of all of it. They've been soaking up the music for so long. And me and Kenny having grown up playing with those guys here in the hills, so it’s a real nice match musically. We clicked quickly when we were cutting the record and I mean it just happened practically spontaneously, you may as well say. I love playing with those guys, it's great bringing R.L. and Juniors music to a new audience.”
This record put the Hill Country sound out there. Deaton says that he appreciates that The Black Keys are promoting this music when they have so many eyes and ears on them right now.
The last question I asked Deaton was his opinion on the future of Hill Country?
His answer:
“The great thing is there clearly is a future for the Hill Country blues. I think it’s becoming wider known now than it ever has been before. I can say for sure that The Black Keys will keep playing this music with or without Kenny and I working with them. And all of us guys that grew up learning from the older masters are going to keep it going. All the younger Burnsides and Kimbroughs, Kenny Brown and Myself, Joe Ayers and Trent Ayers and just everybody is going to keep doing it because it's in our blood, it's in our bones, it’s our life basically. As long as all those people I just named are around it’ll still be going into the future and going strong.”
Catch Eric Deaton on the “Drop Out Boogie Tour” with The Black Keys this summer.
Echoes of Hill Country Today
This past summer I came across the blues band GA-20 on my Spotify Discover Weekly playlist. I usually have a hard time getting into more traditional blues-based bands, but GA-20 presents a sturdy, yet fuzzy tone that stays consistent throughout their discography.
They have two albums out, Lonely Soul, and their most recent album consisting of Hound Dog Taylor covers titled, Try It…You Might Like it: GA-20 Does Hound Dog Taylor. And you should try it…you might like it.
I found this bio on their website that I think best sums up their sound and story:
GA-20 was formed by friends Pat Faherty and Matthew Stubbs in Boston, MA in 2018. The project was born out of their mutual love of heavy traditional Blues, R&B, and Rock & Roll of the late 50s and early 60s. Faherty and Stubbs bonded over legendary artists like Lazy Lester, J.B. Lenoir, Earl Hooker, Buddy Guy, Otis Rush and Junior Wells. Feeling a void in current music, the duo have set out to write, record and perform a modern version of this beloved art form. Joined by drummer Tim Carman in 2019, GA-20 is a trio of 2 guitars, vocals and drums. Raw, passionate and honest performance, both on stage and in the studio, is the only goal.
GA-20 released their debut album “Lonely Soul” Oct 18th 2019 on Karma Chief / Colemine Records. The album debuted at #2 on the Billboard blues charts. “Live: Vol. 1”, released the following year, debuted at #1 on the Billboard blues charts and brought the band’s live sound to a wider audience. Medium.com declared, “This is the kind of music that travels through time while taking from the era where it was born and turning it into something fresh. Dirty and raw…timeless and modern.” In June 2021 GA-20 announced the new album “GA-20 Does Hound Dog Taylor: Try It…You Might Like It!,” a 50th anniversary celebration of Hound Dog Taylor, to be released August 20 via Colemine Records in partnership with the legendary Alligator Records.
Stubbs has spent the past 13 years as guitarist for Blues legend Charlie Musselwhite. During that time he has also backed up and toured with such Blues giants as John Hammond, James Cotton, Junior Watson and James Harman. Stubbs also leads his own original instrumental psych-rock band, 'The Antiguas.’
Although GA-20 is more inspired by traditional blues, they still offer a unique modern sound. I would recommend any blues fan check them out.
I want to hear new music you have found. Leave a comment about new music for Hill Country fans.
On The Road
The Black Keys released a music video for their new single “Wild Child.”
Their new album “Dropout Boogie” will be released on May 13.
Read this article in Rolling Stone about their new album.
North Mississippi Allstars start a string of shows in the U.S. and U.K. April 9.
The Black Keys start their dropout boogie tour July 9.
Left Lane Cruiser just finished a tour in Europe.
Check out the Mississippi Blues Trail calendar to catch shows and events.
Saturday April 23 will be the annual Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale, Mississippi.
Words and Music: Kenny Brown, March 21.
Leave a comment on what you think I should include for the next edition of on the road.
Hey, Listen to This
During my interview with Deaton, we discussed how The Black Keys put out an album of Kimbrough covers, Chulahoma, released in 2006. Deaton reminded me that The Black Keys were not the first to do this. Buddy Guy released a similar album five years before Chulahoma called Sweet Tea. I recommend blues fans check out both of these albums, or re-listen to them. They offer an authentic take on Kimbrough’s music that can’t be missed.