Mississippi Sheiks

The Mississippi Sheiks were a versatile Depression-era string band that featured original blues as well as other music styles, including rags and popular songs of the day, and were highly influential on contemporaries such as Charley Patton and Blind Blake. The band consisted primarily of the Chatmon brothers, Sam and Lonnie, and Bo Carter (who had a substantial solo career of his own). Their most well-known song is "Sitting On Top Of The World," which has been covered by artists as varied as the Grateful Dead, Howlin' Wolf, and Frank Sinatra. In 1972, a regrouped New Mississippi Sheiks recorded a well-received album for the folk label Rounder.