There’s something about Hill Country blues that refuses to be polished. While Delta blues got its urbanization and Piedmont blues its fingerpicking sophistication, the Hill Country style—that raw, hypnotic sound emerging from Mississippi’s north-central region—has always kept one foot planted firmly in the dirt.
Kenny Brown’s presence in contemporary blues journalism matters precisely because he represents continuity with a tradition that could’ve easily disappeared. The Hill Country sound, with its drone-like guitar work, minimal chord changes, and emphasis on pure feeling over technical display, never had the commercial machinery that followed other blues regional styles. Yet here we are in 2026, and artists like Brown are still working that territory, still proving the music’s essential power.
What makes Hill Country blues distinct starts with the instrument itself. Players like R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough—Brown’s spiritual predecessors—developed a guitar approach that almost defies standard music theory. The rhythm drives hypnotically forward while the melody seems to circle and hover, creating tension that resolves through raw emotional intensity rather than conventional resolution. It’s blues that makes you feel the struggle, not just hear it described.
The recognition Brown is receiving through features like this one signals something important for blues journalism: there’s renewed interest in authenticating and documenting regional styles before they’re lost entirely. Too often, blues coverage gravitates toward commercially viable artists or those with nostalgic appeal. A focused interview with a working Hill Country bluesman serves the broader ecosystem—it tells younger musicians that this lineage matters, that there’s still an audience for uncompromising, regionally-rooted blues.
It’s worth noting that contemporary Hill Country blues doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Brown and his contemporaries play in clubs, at festivals, and increasingly through streaming platforms. They’re adapting to 21st-century distribution while maintaining the music’s essential character. That balance—honoring tradition while remaining relevant—is the real challenge for blues music today.
The presence of multiple reviews in this same issue—from Sugar Ray & The Bluetones to Ben Rice & The PDX Hustle—suggests a healthy, diverse blues landscape. This is what keeps the form vital: regional voices getting attention alongside established names, new artists exploring the tradition, and writers committed to covering it all seriously.
Kenny Brown’s interview deserves your attention not as nostalgia, but as current events. This is living blues tradition, still being forged in real time.
