Jimbo Mathus on Rehearsing in an Old Fire Station and Working to Stay Afloat

Photo credit: John Driver

Tell us about your tour vehicle. Any notable break-down stories?

I have had a total of 5 15 passenger vans since I started touring professionally in 1994. I rode them all to the ground. Mostly Chevy’s. I’ve had wheels fly off, trannys go out, heater coil die in North Dakota in dead of winter, you name it. One caught on fire.

How do you eat cheaply and/or healthy while on tour?

It depends on the budget of the tour. If there is hospitality, it’s usually decent healthy food. I rap up leftovers and keep in a cooler. Shop when you can and hit Panera’s for some decent fast food.

How many strings do you break in a typical year? How much does it cost to replace them?

I honestly have no idea. I’d say a case of strings.

Where do you rehearse?

I rent the old fire station here in Taylor, MS for $250 a month. I use it for rehearsal, storage and various art projects. I got into a jar of moonshine up in there not too long ago.

What was the title and a sample lyric from the first song that you wrote?

“I Love the Sun”

I thought about the ONE I love
Images of her came in swirls
Fires burned beside the road
A shiver ran up my spine

Describe your first gig.

I grew up in family band playing socially all around north Mississippi. It was prolly at a funeral, party or picnic.

What was your last day job? What was your favorite day job?

Deck hand for Canal Barge Company, New Orleans La.

I am currently property manager for 10 rural acres, 7 shacks and the big house.

How has your music-related income changed over the past 5-10 years? What do you expect it to look like 5-10 years from now?

My writing royalties add up more and more. I find that I generally make about $50 an hour on the bandstand. Same 5-10 years ago. You gotta work a lot to stay afloat. I see it gradually building over time unless some some unforeseen bolt of lightning decides to strike. Then, who knows? I’ve never had health insurance in my life.

What one thing do you know now that you had wished you knew when you started your career in music?

It’s been pretty much what I thought it would be. I never thought in terms of success or failure financially, only artistically, and I’ve been blessed with great opportunities, timing, and the skill and desire to see ’em thru.

I can’t think of anything I’d change with the whole deal. I started professionally when I was 17 and am 53 this year.

Jimbo Mathus has blazed a singular path as a singer, songwriter, guitarist, producer and shaman for 40 years, recording and releasing more than 300 songs that are a testament to his hoodoo craftsmanship and to the sounds, sights and spirits of his inspirations in the deep South. His new album, Incinerator, which debuted on April 5 via Mississippi’s Big Legal Mess Records, is the epitome of that art – an incendiary reflection of his world in music.

Mathus will also continue touring this year with the Squirrel Nut Zippers, a band the Oxford, Mississippi, native co-founded in 1993. Despite several hiatuses, the Zippers have continued to play their eclectic blend of gypsy jazz, swing, and Delta blues over the decades, and released their seventh studio album, Beasts of Burgundy, in 2018.

In addition to producing albums for J.D. Wilkes, Shinyribs, Ironing Board Sam, and many others, Mathus has a discography as a solo artist and bandleader that’s more than 20 titles deep â€” the last seven for Big Legal Mess Records and Fat Possum. He is also a member of the South Memphis String Band, with Luther Dickinson and Alvin Youngblood Hart, and his many session credits include recordings with Buddy Guy, Samantha Fish, and Amy LaVere. These days, when Mathus is at home in Mississippiâ€™s hill country and Delta, he also leads a local blues band called Dirty Crooks.

Connect with Mathus online and on the road.