Ranie Burnette

Hailing from Senatobia, Mississippi, Ranie Burnette represents the generation of blues artists that includes Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, and John Lee Hooker. The major difference between these names and Burnette, though, is that Burnette decided to stay in Mississippi and build a career based on local performance rather than recordings. Throughout his career he would play wherever he could, including at local picnics, clubs, and house parties. On top of this, Burnette would often play with other local performers such as Fred McDowell, and be an inspiration to many younger bluesmen, including RL Burnside. His first commercial recording would be with High Water Records in 1980, although Dr. Evans had been making field recordings of him since 1969.