Jesse Robinson - Jackson

The seventh son of a preacher, guitarist and vocalist Jesse Robinson began playing in Jackson in the mid-‘60s, and after a stint in Chicago became a central figure in the local blues and jazz scene, leading his own bands and playing with artists including Sam Myers. He toured extensively with Little Milton and Bobby Rush, and back in Jackson he helped to establish the celebrated late night blues tradition at the Subway Lounge and various Blue Monday jams.

Jesse Robinson exemplifies the rich, if often overlooked, history of blues in Jackson. Born in 1944, he grew up in the Delta community of Mileston, where his family owned their own farm and other businesses, and picked up guitar at six. Robinson’s father, James, a guitarist and COGIC minister, moved the family to Jackson when Jesse was in his teens. He became active on the music scene, competing in talent contests at the Alamo Theatre, playing in Duke Huddleston’s big band, and gigging at the Blue Flame and Rocket Lounge in the “Gold Coast”/“’Cross the River” entertainment district in Rankin County with musicians including Tommy Tate, Charles Hicks, Calvin Robinson, Walter Gardner, and Willie Thompson. In 1964 Robinson made his first recordings playing behind Amanda Humphrey and Carlton “Sonny” Wells on the local Norton label.

In the mid-‘60s Robinson moved to Chicago, where he played with artists including Eddie Shaw and the team of King Edward and McKinley Mitchell, who later moved to Jackson. In 1971 he returned to Jackson, where his Master Sound Band worked a nightly midnight gig at Jimmy King’s Avalon Court in northwest Jackson. He started a “Blue Monday” series at nearby Dorsey’s, worked with Sam Myers in the Sound Corporation, and played jazz at the Summers Hotel with brothers Kermit Jr., Bernard, and Sherrill Holly and drummer Willie Silas. In the late ‘70s Robinson began a two-year stint with Little Milton, followed by five years of touring with Bobby Rush, who relocated to Jackson from Chicago in the early ’80s. Robinson appeared on Rush’s 1982 hit “Sue” and other of his recordings on James Bennett’s Jackson-based LaJam label, and is also featured on Rush’s 2004 CD Folk Funk (Deep Rush).

In 1986 Robinson formed the Knee Deep Band, featuring vocalist Walter Lee “Big Daddy” Hood,
Steve Burkes, and Sherman Lee Dillon, and established midnight shows at the Summers Hotel’s Subway Lounge, and brought in groups including the Houserockers. Robinson continued to perform widely with bands and as a solo artist, appeared on albums by Bobby “Blue” Bland and Cassandra Wilson, and made his own recordings. His 2013 album Stray Star, which consisted of songs made from translated Portuguese poetry, resulted from a tour of Brazil. Back home Robinson frequently organized events celebrating the local blues community, helped establish the Central Mississippi Blues Society, and actively promoted the Mississippi Blues Trail. In the wake of his friend B.B. King’s death, Robinson served as a vocalist/guitarist for the B.B. King Blues Band, playing events including the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

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