Jimbo Mathus talks about his "Songs for Rosetta" album being reissued

Back in 1997, Jimbo Mathus recorded at tribute to his childhood nanny, Rosetta Patton, which is finally being reissued on vinyl! 

Here's the scoop... 

Way back in 1997, Squirrel Nut Zippers' singer/songwriter Jimbo Mathus and his Knock-Down Society recorded a heartfelt tribute to his beloved childhood babysitter Rosetta Patton, the daughter of hugely influential blues legend Charlie Patton. The resulting album "Plays Songs For Rosetta" – recorded with Luther & Cody Dickinson pre-North Mississippi All Stars, Andrew Bird, Pat Sansone (Wilco) and Glenn Graham (Blind Melon) – was a victim of the CD-era and never issued on vinyl. 

To mark the 30th anniversary of its release, Near Miss Records is rectifying the situation by reissuing "Plays Songs For Rosetta" as a double-LP in a limited pressing of 500 copies. The deluxe 30th anniversary edition features the entire original album with a second LP of bonus material including an "on the record" portion in which Jimbo tells his own story of how the recording project came together.  You can pre-order a 2LP copy of "Plays Songs For Rosetta" 30th Anniversary Edition directly from Near Miss Records right here. Those interested in getting a digital copy of the original album should check the Bandcamp link below.

Listen to Jimbo's WWOZ-FM interview with David Kunian from September 1 right here: http://www.wwoz.org/listen/archive/show.php?date=2026-09-01&time=10PM

Jimbo Mathus & His Knock-Down Society – Plays Songs For Rosetta

Mathus, one of the masterminds behind the Squirrel Nut Zippers, here cuts it Clarksdale style for the sake of bluesman Charlie Patton's daughter, Rosetta. Not surprisingly, Rosetta doesn't see a dime from the sale of Patton's music, and Mathus saw an opportunity to give back. Give back to the music? Well, yes, but also to Rosetta herself, who helped raise Mathus from knee-pants. And the result is a righteous paella of roots music: rattling Delta style, jug band and parlor jazz with Dixieland and country-blues to boot. It's all so fresh and lively you may wonder how you lived your life without it. Dig the winking ragtime cover of Leadbelly's "Keep Your Hand's Off Her" or the country scrawl of Mathus' "Turkey Buzzard in a Pork Pie Hat." -Tim Sheridan

You can listen to Jimbo's "Plays Songs For Rosetta" and get a digital copy via Bandcamp right here. Check out the lead track "I Got Mine" below. 

Watch Andrew Bird & Jimbo Mathus' short film "These 13"

Tyler Manson offers a glimpse at the creative interaction between Andrew and Jimbo in his nicely shot 21 min documentary.  

LINKS 

Jimbo Mathus https://www.therealjimbomathus.com/

Andrew Bird https://www.andrewbird.net

Andrew Bird & Jimbo Mathus livestream concert April 11th 

Squirrel Nut Zippers update their pandemic commentary "La Grippe"

Here's the 2020 version of the Squirrel Nut Zippers' classic "La Grippe" originally released in 1995. 

SQUIRREL NUT ZIPPERS'' INEVITABLE 25th ANNIVERSARY SHOWS
9/9/20              Phoenix, AZ                             Crescent Ballroom                  
9/10/20            San Diego, CA                          Music Box      
9/11/20            Los Angeles, CA                       Teragram Ballroom      
9/13/20            Berkeley, CA                            Freight & Salvage        
9/14/20            Petaluma, CA                           Mystic Theatre                                    
9/16/20            Eugene, OR                             Jaqua Concert Hall      
9/17/20            Portland, OR                            Aladdin Theater
9/18/20            Seattle, WA                              Triple Door      
9/19/20            Seattle, WA                              Triple Door      
10/24/20          Hopkins, MN                             Hopkins PAC

JD Wilkes enlists Bo-Keys & Jimbo Mathus for "Fire Dream" solo debut

"Walk Between The Raindrops" is off the Shack Shaker's Fire Dream album due February 16 on Big Legal Mess. 

JD Wilkes - Fire Dream

Imagine a sideshow blowing in on a Caribbean gale, only to land smack dab in a Kentucky junkyard. Then, and only then, might a listener begin to picture a suitable setting for Fire Dream, the latest solo album by musician/novelist J.D. Wilkes slated for release February 16th on Big Legal Mess via Fat Possum.

Backed by an all-star cast of the South's most eclectic musicians – including members of The Bo-Keys, Squirrel Nut Zippers and the Drive-By Truckers – Wilkes crafts a soundscape of his homeland's varied voices with the assistance of session producers Jimbo Mathus and Bruce Watson.

From the old-time music of Appalachia to the Cajun, jazz and island music of the Creole nether-glades, Fire Dream charters the listener on a journey... a journey, as it turns out, that has led only deeper into J.D.'s storied psyche.