Cedric Burnside was born in 1978 and raised in Holly Springs, Mississippi. He was the son of blues drummer Calvin Jackson and the grandson of veteran blues musician R.L. Burnside. After learning to play the drums by beating on pans and buckets, Cedric received a drum set from his grandfather when he was twelve years old. At the age of thirteen, Cedric began touring the world and performing with his grandfather, who passed away in 2005. Since that time Cedric has continued to play the Mississippi Hill Country blues that he learned from his “Big Daddy.”
Cedric has played and recorded with Bobby Rush, North Mississippi Allstars, Widespread Panic, Jimmy Buffett, and many others. He has won multiple Blues Music Awards, including Best New Artist Debut for his 2009 album, 2 Man Wrecking Crew; a Traditional Blues Album award for Descendants of Hill Country; and several Best Instrumentalist awards for drums. Cedric also appeared in Black Snake Moan, a movie dedicated to the memory of R.L. Burnside.
Still frame from Pryor Center video interview with Cedric Burnside at Bubba's Blues Corner during the King Biscuit Blues Festival; Helena, Arkansas, 2015
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
