Of all of the shining lights currently beaming bright in the American roots rock/jam/alt-country hemisphere, Luther Dickinson is arguably the brightest. And over the last few years, he’s certainly one of the busiest.
Not only did he take a mini-hiatus from his longtime band the North Mississippi All Stars to join The Black Crowes for a spate of touring and songwriting, not only is he embarking on a second short tour this fall with the Southern Soul Assembly featuring JJ Grey, Anders Osborne and Marc Broussard, and not only did he also recently record two solo records, but he has been guesting on efforts by (and playing behind the likes of) John Hiatt, Shawn Lane, The Wandering, The South Memphis String Band and others. Whewww, doggie.
And Luther’s not the only All Star to thrive by delving into other musical worlds. He and fellow All Star and brother Cody Dickinson have recently also been producing music on separate projects for a variety of eclectic musicians. While time away from the “main” band can sometimes be a hindrance to its progress and evolution, Luther says just the opposite has happened with him and Cody, they’ve grown and evolved by working on those other projects and exploring other sounds and feels.
“We’ve grown so much better about doing side projects and production work and taking time off from the road, it keeps it fresh,” said Dickinson on the phone this week from his home. “We try not to let the music get stagnant, we’ve been experimenting and trying to evolve the band.”
About 14 years after their stunning debut record Shake Hands With Shorty was released, Luther and Cody have managed to churn out nine utterly memorable records that mix rock, soul, funk and blues (and they’re now in the studio working on #10), mixing traditional musical themes from their Mississippi roots while also creating startlingly fresh sounding raw rock and roll. Add a big helping of genes from their father, the late legendary music producer Jim Dickinson (Big Star, Replacements), and you have a delicious and ecelctic stew of unforgettable music coming from these boys.
But letting yourself wander down other musical paths was not something they thought about doing earlier on in the All Stars’ history, the Dickinson brothers figured it was all about having a laser focus on their own band, and putting everything they had into that. Funny what valuable lessons come simply with experience.
“That’s something you learn over the years that I wish we’d known 10-12 years ago, we used to try and filter every idea, every experiment, into the one project,” Luther Dickinson said. “That’s just what we assumed we were supposed to do. But having (other) projects allows the All Stars to really flex and do what they do best, naturally, ya know? If you put everything in its proper place, then that allows all the music to be uncompromised. And that’s been our greatest triumph the last three years, is learning that and expanding that.”
And as if they needed even more inspiration, the All Stars spent this summer in Europe opening for rock icon Robert Plant and his band the Sensational Shape Shifters, a rare experience Dickinson still marvels at. Plant was another example of someone, like Dickinson, who always strives to keep things fresh, and he helped the All Stars to find even more priceless perspective that will undoubtedly help them on their own journey.
“The biggest lesson is how hard (Robert Plant) works,” Dickinson continued. “He’s so industrious, he’s always rehearsing and stretching and pushing, I feel he deserves everything he’s ever achieved or accomplished, ‘cuz he’s such a hard worker, man. Plus he’s so smart, he knows more about American music than any American I know. And he really strives to keep his music fresh, to keep that fresh energy in his music. And that’s most important, you know, that’s where the longevity lies.”
–Steve Houk