JD Simo and Luther Dickinson at the Redstone Room -- May 12.
Tuesday, May 12, 8 p.m.
The Redstone Room, 129 Main Street, Davenport IA
On May 12, two of the most electrifying forces in modern roots music – JD Simo (Chris Isaak, Jack White) and Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi Allstars, The Black Crowes) – will blend their talents at Davenport's Redstone Room, forming a soul-shaking trio alongside powerhouse drummer Adam Abrashoff, and delivering a master class in high-octane, roots-infused blues.
As stated at AllMusic.com, JD Simo "grew up in Chicago, Illinois, and developed a taste for the blues as a kid, listening to a Chess Records collection his sister often played. J.D. started playing guitar when he was five, and once talked his mom into taking him to see the abandoned Chess Records building on South Michigan Avenue. By the time he was 18, J.D.'s family was living in Arizona, and he was headlining clubs and playing festivals with his backing combo Dirty Pool; they issued an EP, Burnin' Live, which sold an impressive 5,000 copies as an independent release. After walking away from high school, J.D. and his band hit the road and released a studio album, One Night Stand, in 2002. After two more albums, 2004's The Other Side of Me and 2005's J.D. Simo Live, the guitarist parted ways with Dirty Pool and relocated to Nashville in 2006. J.D. made a name for himself in Music City after he joined a popular local group, the Don Kelley Band, and soon he was dividing his time between live gigs and session work, gaining a reputation as one of the city's best guitarists.
"In 2010, J.D. decided to break out on his own, and he formed a new band with two seasoned musicians, bassist Frank Swart and drummer Adam Abrashoff. The new combo was dubbed Simo, and their self-titled debut album arrived in 2011. Simo hit the road hard in support, and well-respected reissue label Sundazed Records made the rare choice of releasing a new recording by putting out a Simo single, 'Shake It' b/w 'AoH,' later the same year. In 2015, the trio released a live EP, Love, Vol. One, recorded during a show at Nashville's Mercy Lounge; that same year, Swart left Simo and Elad Shapiro became the group's new drummer. By this time, word had spread about the band's incendiary live show, and the group was playing festivals like Bonnaroo and Mountain Jam as well as sharing bills with Gregg Allman, Joe Bonamassa, Blackberry Smoke, Deep Purple, and many others. In 2015, Simo scored a deal with Provogue Records, and they released their first album for the label, Let Love Show the Way, in 2016."
As a guitarist, songwriter and producer/engineer, Simo has worked with Jack White (Beyoncé Lemonade sessions), Phil Lesh, James McCartney, Tommy Emmanuel, David Kahne, Cowboy Jack Clement, Dave Cobb, Paul Worley, George Porter, Anson Funderburgh, Peter Collins, Joe Bonamassa, Chris Isaak, Kirk Fletcher, Devon Allman, Samantha Fish and Tal Wilkenfelt. Baz Luhrmann used him on the soundtrack and score of the Elvis biopic. Every live guitar in the movie is played by JD, and his playing can also be heard in the 2025 Bruce Springsteen bio-musical Deliver Me from Nowhere.
Luther Dickinson born in West Tennessee to Mary Lindsay and Jim Dickinson, a Memphis record producer. Dickinson grew up playing concerts and gaining recording experience with his father and brother, Cody. The family moved to the hills of North Mississippi in 1985. Dickinson made his recording debut in 1987, playing a metal-influenced guitar solo on "Shooting Dirty Pool" on the Replacements' album Pleased to Meet Me, which his father was producing. Dickinson befriended the musical families of Otha Turner, R. L. Burnside, and Junior Kimbrough. They were the inspiration for Luther and Cody Dickinson to form the North Mississippi Allstars in 1996. The North Mississippi Allstars have been nominated for three Grammy Awards in the Best Contemporary Blues category. Dickinson produced two records on Otha Turner, Everybody Hollerin' Goat and From Senegal to Senatobia.
In November 2007, Dickinson joined the Black Crowes. His recording debut with the band was on Warpaint in 2008, and he has since appeared on the 2009 Black Crowes release Before the Frost...Until the Freeze. Dickinson currently tours with the North Mississippi Allstars and as a member of the Southern Soul Assembly. In 2014, Gibson issued a signature model for him, the Luther Dickinson ES-335, with the most notable modification being the P-90 pickups replacing the standard humbuckers. Jazz critic Ted Gioia chose Blues & Ballads: A Folksinger's Songbook, Volumes 1 & 2 for the eleventh spot on his list of the top 100 albums of the year. Meanwhile, his 2019 joint recording with Sisters of the Strawberry Moon, Solstice, was chosen as a "Favorite Blues Album" by AllMusic.
Together, Simo's and Dickinson's collaborative album Do The Rump! has been making waves, with lead single “Come On” hitting number one on SiriusXM Bluesville. The sound is raw, hypnotic, and thrillingly alive – equal parts Hill Country trance, psych-soul, and electrified jam.
JD Simo and Luther Dickinson perform their co-headlining engagement at Davenport's Redstone Room on May 12, admission to the 8 p.m. concert event is $20-22, and more information and tickets are available by calling (563)326-1333 and visiting CommonChordQC.org.
