MORE GOOD NEWS - The Red Fox (charming bar across the street from the record store) will be re-opening on March 16th. Open 3 - 11 PM, seven days a week. There will be outdoor seating in the park. See you there with bells on.

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The Mississippi Record label will have a pretty hardcore release schedule over the next few months. Releases include a double LP of unreleased Alan Lomax field recordings from the late 1970's to early 1980's coming on April 5th, 2021, followed by two LP's by theremin virtuoso Clara Rockmore, a new Abner Jay record, some beautiful East African music by the Kiko Kids, some raw rocking music from the Sahel, a new record by Portland Cumbia legends Savila, Dead Moon's Destination X and a ton of repress's too! (Human Expression, Chrissy Zebi Tembo, Dead Moon titles and more). There will also be two new Cairo record comps before the year ends and a surprise heavy soul reissue sure to make you happy.

We'd like to thank everyone for supporting the label and store over the past year. We've managed to survive and are grateful for it. This is our tenth newsletter of the past year! It's been a pleasure putting these together. As promised, we will shift to a print version now that the first ten are done.

The record shop is still open Thurs - Sun, 12 - 7, the stereo repair and retail shop is still open 1 - 7 Fri - Sun and the labels website and bandcamp are still taking orders and providing digital music 24 hours a day. Still rolling on and on.

There are a few more spots open in the Mississippi CSR. The subscription club helps us fund all our new pressings and generally keep the label running, and it's the best way to make sure you get the new releases as they come out.

For our tenth issue, we interviewed chanteuse Rebeka Del Rio, wrote a bit about legendary guitarist Shem Tube and have a personal remembrance of our friend Ron Burns, who passed away recently. Thanks for reading.

Duty now for the future, The Mississippi Records crew

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100 COPIES OF THE NEW CAIRO RECORDS COMPILATION AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER FOR CONTRIBUTORS TO THE MISSISSIPPI FOOD NETWORK

We are preselling 100 copies of the new Cairo Records compilation with all proceeds going to The Mississippi Food Network

The MFN contributes regular and emergency food relief, serving 1.8 million meals a year. They're based in Jackson, where some residents are entering their 4th week without clean water. You can buy the seventh Cairo compilation for a sliding scale of $45 - $100.

Here's how it works -

Donate between $45 - $100 to this link -
https:bit.ly/3lkjnTy

After you donate, forward your donation receipt to
[email protected]

Please include your name and mailing address when you send me the email receipt. (or specify that you can pick up your copy at the Mississippi Records shop in Portland)
THIS OFFER IS AVAILABLE TO RESIDENTS OF THE USA ONLY

Once the record comes out (between April 15th and May 30th) we'll send you a copy for free, shipping included! If you are in Portland, a pickup would be greatly appreciated, but we can mail it if you need. I'll send an email alert once the record arrives from the pressing plant.

WE'LL SEND OUT AN EMAIL ONCE THE 100 PRESALE COPIES ARE SOLD OUT. PLEASE LOOK FOR THIS EMAIL BEFORE YOU GO AHEAD AND DONATE EXPECTING A COPY. ODDS ARE GOOD WE'LL SELL OUT OF THESE IN THE NEXT FEW HOURS. PLEASE DO NOT ORDER BEFORE LOOKING TO SEE IF YOU GOT AN EMAIL STATING THE OFFER IS NOW CLOSED!!!!!!!

Here are details on the compilation we are offering -

V/A - Written On The Wall
Cairo Records Soul Compilation Volume 7

A triple LP with 28 page full color liner notes and a gold foil printed cover. 36 beautiful soul songs. Records 1 and 2 are pretty intense but it lightens up on record 3 and lets you breathe. Life is short, so you might as well feel it all while you can.

Ron Burns stage diving circa 1985

By Eric Isaacson

We lost the hidden pulse of American music recently - the great Ron Burns.

I first met Ron on May 2nd, 2003, the very first day Mississippi Records opened. I was twenty seven years old and had no idea what I was doing opening a record store. The stock of the store was built out of every record and book in my personal collection, records friends gave me on consignment, and $4,000 of stock I bought at garage sales. Beyond $50 in ones and fives I kept to fill the cash register I had cleaned out my life's savings.and expected to go out of business within three months. My confidence was not high.

Ron walked into the store within the first hour. He was followed by a group of people I never met before who ended up figuring prominently in my life and the Mississippi Records story.

Ron came in with his roommates - Jason Bokros, who would end up working every possible angle at Mississippi, and John P, who would end up running our repair department and working on a bunch of other projects with us. Soon after the three roommates entered, two more heavy hitters walked in - Jay Martin, who would end up being Mississippi's chief archivist and Scott Simmons, who would later found the Exiled records shop and label. All five of these people also ended up being some of my best friends for the next eighteen years.

The five knew each other already. After they cased the store, the group gathered in the corner and started to whisper amongst themselves, occasionally tossing a conspiratorial glance my way. These dudes were older, cooler, smarter and much much more handsome than me. Their coven was...intimidating.

Ron later told me the five gathered in the corner to lay bets on what the deal with the store was. Theories abounded. Was I a rich hipster kid who was just starting a store for fun? Would the shop be filled with boring lassic rock records the minute I sold through the interesting stock it obviously took me years to gather? Were the prices low because I was generous, because I was an idiot or a little of both? How could there be so many original Saturn press Sun Ra records. original press Jamaican records and rare soul 7"s in a store started by some young kid they never heard of?

The next day Ron walked in with a big stack of truly esoteric records to trade for things in the shop he wanted. Back then, I did not own a computer so there was no way to look up obscure records. I had to price them based on what I'd seen at stores over the years and my gut. I could somehow tell right away that Ron knew WAY more about music, art, books and culture than me. I think he knew it too. If it was a western movie, there would have been close ups of our eyes darting back and forth and intense music as I tried to read his soul and he tried to read mine while I paged through his records, struggling to make sense of them.

Ron ended up being just about the nicest guy in the entire world. Instead of lording over me with his superior knowledge, he very kindly rapped with me about music. It turned out he was truly spiritually involved with all things arty. He was the kind of enthusiast who infected others with his excitement. Within minutes I went from being intimidated by Ron to absolutely charmed and kind of in love. Here was the type of person I always wanted to meet - a keeper of deep esoteric knowledge who was kind and generous with it.

Ron instantly started bringing records and books in for me to borrow, turning me onto new stuff. We had spirited arguments when I would let him know there was no world in which I would give Zappa or Henry Cow or The Art Bears a fair shake. (I still maintian - fuck that shit). Ron stopped by the shop pretty much everyday for the first year it was open.

In 2004, me and my pal Warren decided to start a record label. Neither of us had any idea on how to design a record cover. To design the label's first two releases, Washington Phillips and the Last Kind Words compilation, we enlisted the free services of our artist friends Chris Johanson and Icky. Ron was working at a print shop and when I told him about our newfound label, without me asking he volunteered to print up the covers without charge. Him and John P laid out and printed 500 copies of the Washington Phillips cover on a sticker, which we then hand adhered to black blank covers in the style of Folkways record. Ron and John credited the job to their new printing company - "White Lines Press."

For the next few releases on our label, I Don't Feel At Home In This World Anymore, Love Is Love, Life Is A Problem and Lipa Kodi Ya City Council, I felt guilty taking advantage of my artist friends' free services and I decided to try and figure out how to design a record cover myself. I drew and collaged some pretty rough designs and took it to Ron to check out. I had not shown these designs to anyone before him and I was nervous he would laugh at my pathetic attempts at art. I'll never forget seeing Ron examine these three cover designs as I waited breathlessly. After a silence, he looked up at me and said "these are good." He then moved some elements of the designs around and gently educated me a bit on golden ratios and spatial relations. With some intelligent nudges by Ron's hand, the designs suddenly went from looking sloppy to looking somehow very intentional...good even.



Ron's confidence in my designs meant the world to me. That he would take the time to print all these covers free of charge out of belief in the project and friendship was above and beyond. I honestly don't think I would have had the confidence to keep designing things if Ron had not given me encouragement and enthusiasm. I respected him and if he liked my shit collages....them maybe they were not shit after all.


Ron would slowly drop stories about his life through the years - a nugget here and there. He was always humble about his accomplishments. I learned that Ron had been a drummer in a million bands. He was opening for Black Flag as a scraggly little kid of fifteen. Ron went on to be in a bunch of bands that started with the letter "S" - Swell, Smog, SF Seals..and much more.

In 2010 Ron founded Sun Foot with Chris Johanson and Brian Mumford. I remember the first time I saw Sun Foot I laughed a lot. Ron pulled some truly silly tricks out of his bag - snapping his finger as a "drum solo", loping weird behind the beat beats on a drum machine, hitting a gong. He was thrilling to watch and one of the best drummer's I have ever seen. I could tell he was always having fun playing and it was where he belonged. Ron was a fully realized artist with an absolute singular vision.

I saw Ron the day before he died. We small talked about taxes and home renovations. It felt like a future was at hand and we'd both be in it. Ron was struggling some, no doubt about it, but he found the strength to greet me with a smile and say kind things I needed to hear. He was still just the kind of man I always wanted to know. When young I always dreamed of having a friend like Ron and feel privileged to have spent so much time in his presence. Even though Ron is not physically here now, he will still figure prominently in the future of this planet. Many people are carrying the memory of his smile, his fucked up wit, his truly unique artistic vision and his kindness. Ron is still present.

Ron Burn's being chauffeured to the other side.

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By Cyrus Moussavi

A year ago this week, Rebekah Del Rio was planning to host two sold-out shows at Portland’s Hollywood Theatre. The program would include a screening of David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive and a live performance of Rebekah’s music, including the devastating a cappella rendition of “Llorando” (a Spanish cover of Roy Orbison’s “Crying”) that she performs in the film.

The shows were canceled but we've stayed in touch, working together on a dream project for release later this year - a 7" single of Rebekah's a cappella version of Llorando b/w an a cappella performance of Only The Lonely that she is currently translating to Spanish. One of those records that everyone in the world should have.

I called Rebekah at her home in Nashville to talk about finding that perfect song...

RDR: When I talk about “Crying,” it's not just a Roy Orbison song. I've always mentioned [co-writer] Joe Melson's name whenever I sing.

Joe took Roy under his wing and helped him develop that crooner sound. Where Roy goes up, that's Joe's style. Not very many people could go that high, so it was a match made in heaven. It started a movement.

I started feeling like, you know, it's not fair that a singer gets all the attention for something that was originally written without him there. I thought to myself, “I wonder where this Joe Melson songwriter is - is he still on the planet?”

So [during quarantine] I started to look him up and I found something on Facebook. I reached out and just said, “Listen, I’m the singer from Mulholland Drive. I sing Joe’s song, which I love very much. I've never had an opportunity to meet him, and I've always wanted to thank him for writing such a beautiful song. And it's really changed my life.” And it has. David [Lynch] likes to call it the “traction” that I have received from being in his movie, singing that song. It has been very special to me and has guided my career and my life in so many different directions.

So I wrote and said, “Hey, I just wanna give Joe his credit where credit is due.”

And then I got a call from Joe Melson. He couldn't be nicer. He’s a good ol’ Texan man and he was so sweet to me and he was very gracious. And he said [in deep Texas accent] “You know, I really love your voice.” You know, I have to do the accent. “Little girl, you got a great voice. I would love to hear you sing all my songs.”

CM: How did you come across “Crying” in the first place? What grabbed you?

RDR: You know, I started singing “Crying” years before I met David [Lynch]. From the beginning, from the time I heard it, the first time I started to sing it, it’s changed my life for the better.

Growing up, I had limited exposure to popular music, but the good news was that my dad had great taste. One day I would be listening to Miles Davis and the next day a Glenn Miller big band, and the next day would be Roy Orbison. I was a born singer. I've just always loved to sing along.

As the years went by and I was trying to become a recording artist, I would go to different country clubs and sit up and sing with the musicians. And I started to go to these talent contests in different country bars.

This was back in the early nineties. I had seen the video of Roy Orbison and KD Lang doing “Crying,” and that’s when it hit me. I said, “Oh my gosh, that guy has a great voice. Sounds like Roy Orbison.” Then when KD came in, she took the song in a different way than usual.

So I started to sing it the way it’s presented in the video. It was the first song that I felt was really in my range. I didn't really know all about different ways and modalities of how to use your voice. I'd never been trained. But this particular song, I didn't have to worry about it. It was so easy for me to sing. And so I came to all these different little talent contests and, you know, there's a prize for them, there's money involved.

As a single mother struggling in Hollywood and trying to make it in the music business, no car, just trying to figure it out with a baby on my hip, passing out flyers trying to get people to go to shows, it was really hard work. You had to get out there and sing, after you worked two or three shifts. You had to get out there and look pretty and sing.

One day there was a contest at Denim and Diamonds, and I decided I’m gonna sing this song. So I went up to the band and I said “I’m gonna sing ‘Crying’ by Roy Orbison.” And they said “No, we don’t know that song.” I said “Of course you know that song, that’s one of the most famous songs!” And they said “No, can you sing something else?”

And I go, okay, well, I'm just going to sing it a capella. Wow. And they're like, “Go for it, girl.” You know, “Good luck." I think I had a little bit of resistance, like, “Can't you just sing another song, you crazy, dumb country girl, you know, chick singer.” I felt like, “No, no, I'm going to do this. I'm going to do this a capella.”

And then I said into the mic, “Y’all, you know what, I've picked a song that I really love, it’s Roy Orbison and it's real nice, but these fellows decided that they can't play the changes. So, if you don't mind, I'm just going to sing it Acapulco!” And everybody laughed. And then I started singing. I was singing this in English at first, I should make that very clear.

When I started [begins to sing first few lines], people just stopped what they were doing. It was the very first time in my life that people really paid attention. Especially in a full bar, people drinking and talking like “Let's get this talent part over with so we can all go do the two-step.” You know, it's very restless people, these country people, it was, “We just want to do the tush-push.”

I started noticing as I was singing that people started noticing me, and it started to be quiet. And by the time I started getting into the crying part, the big part, you could hear a pin drop in that room. That was a big bar, and people just lost their minds. And I lost my mind because I couldn't quite believe the connection that I could have with an audience. I’d been singing for years, but I'd never had that connection.

I finished, standing ovation, people went nuts. And I thought, “Oh my gosh, this is the song. This is my song.”

This performance led to a small management deal with a woman named Randy Sanders. One night Randy dreamt of Rebekah singing “Crying” in Spanish in tribute to recently fallen Tejano star Selena. Rebekah was moved by the idea. A week later, while scouting a lesbian bar for a gig, Rebekah met a Venezuelan songwriter named Thania Sanz. Together they wrote “Llorando.”

I have this pet peeve about how people translate English into Spanish literally. I understand that it’s out of respect for the original, so that the song doesn't lose its integrity. But so many people will translate a song word for word, and the meter and the melody doesn’t fit.

I didn't know Roy Orbison, I didn't know Joe Melson. I just knew that I had to write the song and give it not only the integrity of the original lyrics, but give it a chance to become its own version. I feel this way about covering songs - if you don't do it as well or better than the original, why do it at all?

Thania wrote 99% of that song, but I finessed it. After we finished the song, it all started to click. I was like, “This is how I get em, I get em a capella.” Every single time people would lose their gizzards. And all of a sudden, my life started to completely change just with this song and a few country hits. I had a major [industry] showcase, but I’m still doing three jobs, still no car, still have a baby on my hip, all of it happening.

What happens when you discover that one song that fits perfectly? There was nothing wrong with that song. Everything about it was perfect. And my voice, it just fell into my range. I could use my diaphragm, my chest. I’ve never taken a single lesson, but it worked so well that it would come through my face, my head. I just resonated with it. The song is sad as shit. The melody is incredible. And then Thania's words. I just got chills thinking about that.

I didn't know anything about the music business. All I knew is that I had been given a gift by God, like the voice itself, but this gift of this song.

Rebekah landed a record deal off "Llorando" and moved to Nashville to build a country music career. In 1999, her agent set up a meeting with David Lynch, who was working on Mulholland Drive (still a TV pilot at that time). "We had coffee, I smoked a cigarette with him, I was so nervous.” She sang “Llorando” into a rare Telefunken mic Lynch had set up.

I finish singing and David says in my cans, “Ding dang Rebekah Del Rio, that was aces!” I was like, “Ok, this guy is weird.” I just gave him the performance of my lifetime.

Her live audition take became the track you hear in the movie, though they had to film her fall at the end of the song “something like 14 times.”

So, that's what happened with “Llorando.” That song has just taken me all over the world. I ended up singing at Carnegie Hall with the Philharmonic, you know, so many places because of that song.

CM: How do you see the song now? Why do you think this all happened?

RDR: I never really broke it down like that before, but I think the answer would be that it was fate. That one day I happened to be watching country music videos and I caught that song of KD Lang and Roy Orbison, and then the tragedy of Selena and trying to honor her life and then by doing that, this series of events I just described to you. It’s interesting. I think in the act of giving or giving back, you receive. My initial reason for doing that in Spanish was to honor Selena, and I ended up honoring myself as well.

The Llorando 7" will be available one day from Mississippi, and Rebekah will be back at the Hollywood to make you lose your gizzard, too.

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By Cyrus Moussavi

We lost the great Kenyan guitarist, singer and bandleader Shem Tupe in February, 2021.

Tupe, who recorded under the name Shem Tube, followed his wife Jesica Andayi and his friend and neighbor, twist guitarist John Nzenze, who both passed this summer.

Shem was a star of the second wave of omutibo guitar, starting where the great George Mukabi left off and adding multiple layers of guitar and voice to the “Kenya dry” sound. With his band Abana Ba Nasery he even traveled to the US and UK in the early 90s.

When I visited his home in rural Bunyore in 2016, Shem hadn’t played for years and didn’t have a guitar on hand. His son Wycliffe went on a mission to find one while Shem and Jesica served milk-tea and described the days when hundreds of people packed their compound to hear the music.

Wycliffe returned with some friends and instruments, we waited out a sudden downpour, and Shem and co. pulled together some old songs - wobbly but all the more beautiful for it. I'm glad to share some footage from that warm encounter here...



I returned to Bunyore a couple years later to share footage, deliver royalties and give copies of the tapes and records we made with Mississippi Records. I was again struck by and grateful for the kindness and calm at the Bunyore compound.



Shem's funeral was attended by musicians and admirers from as far as Nairobi. They sang and played his music til morning, "warming the night" for the Golden Fingers of Bunyore.

We've produced a second pressing of our cassette tape, Guitar Music of Western Kenya, in order to keep Shem's memory alive and provide some support for his family. All profits from this tape will go to Shem and Jesica's children in Kenya.

Preorder here:
https://mississippirecords.bandcamp.com/album/guitar-music-of-western-kenya-45s-from-the-archive-of-shem-tupe