R. L. BOYCE is a blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist born and raised in Como, Mississippi. He is a protégé of Hill Country blues musicians such as R.L. Burnside and Mississippi Fred McDowell.
Boyce began his career in the early 1960s playing drums for his uncle, the fife and drum performer Othar Turner. Later he was the drummer for Jessie Mae Hemphill and is heard on her 1990 album, Feelin' Good. His debut full-length album, entitled Ain't the Man's Alright, was released when he was 52 years old and featured musicians Cedric Burnside, Luther Dickinson, and Calvin Jackson. His second album release, Roll and Tumble, was released on September 8, 2017 on Waxploitation Records. The album included the father and son double drumming team of Cedric Burnside (R.L. Burnside's drummer and grandson) and Calvin Jackson.
Cutting-edge bluesman LIGHTNIN MALCOLM, a charismatic and energetic guitar slinger with a deep soulful voice, has taken his irresistible Juke Joint teen years’ dance grooves from a one-man band to world stages with mainstream artists such as Robert Plant, Jimmy Buffett, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, The Black Keys, Widespread Panic, Big Head Todd, North Mississippi Allstars, Lucero, and Gary Clark Jr.
The Mississippi-based multi-instrumentalist combines the tribal rhythms and raw electrifying power of the Hill Country blues with the melodic songwriting wisdom of heroes Bob Marley, Sam Cooke, Hank Williams, Bob Dylan, and Jimi Hendrix. Malcolm fuses elements of funk, soul, rock, reggae, hip hop, West African world beat, gospel, and country to create an authentic signature sound in modern day world roots music.
Malcolm won the Blues Music Award’s Best Debut Artist in 2009 and has since toured the globe, releasing critically acclaimed albums "RENEGADE" and "ROUGH OUT THERE." He is a rhythmic force of nature with a wild droning guitar style consisting of bass, rhythm, and lead syncopated together into churning tribal grooves that take listeners by storm. "Everywhere we go, people say we sound like a 5- or 6-piece band," he says.
Malcolm has had a major effect on the recent Mississippi Blues scene, bridging younger generational sounds with a telepathic feel to play with traditional Legends like Hubert Sumlin, R.L. Burnside, Honey Boy Edwards, James Cotton, T Model Ford, Robert Belfour, Big Jack Johnson, and Charlie Musselwhite.
The show will be Sunday June 24 @ 3pm. Email bluestages@att.net to reserve your spot. We are asking for a $20 donation of which 100% goes to the artist.