A disciple of revered blues legend Mississippi Fred McDowell, R.L. Burnside recorded sporadically throughout the 1960s, '70s, and '80s. However, it wasn't until his tenure with the Fat Possum label in the '90s and 2000s that Burnside achieved true legend status. Playing a highly rhythmic, down-and-dirty brand of hill country blues, Burnside was embraced by not only the blues establishment, but also a legion of young rockers raised on punk. He was even backed by indie-rock howlers the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion on '96's A ASS POCKET OF WHISKEY. Burnside passed away in 2005 at the age of 78.