JACKTOWN USA by Kamel King with Joe Lee (Republic Books) *****
In early November, I reviewed the Jacktown USA album, featuring 8 of the artists mentioned in this book. I dug their bluesy soul southern vibe and reached out for a copy of the book. The afternoon it arrived in the mail I cracked it open and for the next week was unable to put it down.
I’m a voracious reader; at least I used to be before life started demanding more of me. When I’m not diving into the latest from Stephen King, Dean Koontz or John Grisham you’ll find a musician’s biography on my night stand… Buddy Guy, Rod Stewart, Bruce Cockburn, Bruce Springsteen and the original members of Kiss are among my favorites. As a lifelong music junkie, a good biography is an adventure that takes me deeper into the music, resulting in an understanding that makes listening to an artist’s stuff so much more meaningful.
“Mississippi is the birthplace of America’s music” author Kamel King says, “and Jackson is the capital city of American music”. As the introduction notes, “Musical artists from Mississippi have received more Grammy awards and nominations than in any other state in the country”, and these pages go a long way in explaining how that’s possible. This book gives you an overview of the city’s music scene then takes a substantial dive into the story of each of the artists on the companion album. Each chapter is about one of those artists, explaining where they come from and how they got to be where they are. It should come as no surprise that some of these guys, like so many other bluesmen, have their foundation in the church. Eddie Cotton started his journey “singing in front of the small Zion Church of God in Christ where his father pastored”, Stevie J. Blues played in the band at a Pentecostal Temple, and Zac Harmon took what he learned playing the clubs in and around Jackson to Los Angeles where he forged a stellar career as a writer, arranger, producer and musician, working with people like Michael Jackson
King and Lee are adept at keeping the narrative moving as they tell fascinating tales from each artist’s respective journeys while never bogging down with esoteric trivialities. The authors I mentioned up top are all expert storytellers, keeping their readers engaged and turning pages (just one more chapter THEN I’ll go to bed!), and despite dealing with very real subject matter, Kamel King with Joe Lee have gotten ahold of some great stories and they tell them very well.
Bottom line; Jacktown USA is engrossing and inspiring. If you’re just looking for some good tales to dive into, this book will do well by you. If your life revolves around music you’ll find this a rich and thoughtful read. If you have a music nut on your Christmas list this year, put Jacktown USA under the tree, but be prepared; they’ll probably want to kiss you on the lips. The companion album is available for streaming and download on all digital platforms.
