The Jelly Roll Kings are a trio of state-of-the-art Mississippi Delta bluesmen who play their music raw and unvarnished, complete with lilting rhythms, dreamily atmospheric keyboards, dance-shuffle drums, and soul-drenched vocals. Led by guitarist Big Jack Johnson, the band includes two veterans of the Delta juke joint scene -- Frank Frost on keyboards and harmonica, and Sam Carr, the son of legendary blues musician Robert Nighthawk, on drums. Johnson, the group's guitarist, chief songwriter and lead vocalist, is the youngest of the three.
Carr began dancing at his father's ...