Jessie Mae Hemphill (1923-2006) grew up surrounded by primal, northern Mississippi country and blues in the Delta tradition. She learned how to play the guitar at the age of seven by watching her relatives perform. Later, she picked up drums and began playing with various local fife and drum bands, the first field recording of her work appearing in 1967.

Hemphill received the W.C. Handy Award for best traditional female blues artist in both 1987 and 1988. Her 1990 American debut, Feelin’ Good, won a third Handy for best acoustic album. She has been featured on film in the French documentary Me & My Guitar and Deep Blues. Hemphill suffered a stroke in 1993 that left her unable to play the guitar, but she still contributed vocals and tambourine to her last album of new material, 2004’s Dare You to Do It Again.