Like Big Jack Johnson, Sam Carr and his other labelmates at Fat Possum/Capricorn, guitarist, singer and songwriter Paul "Wine" Jones grew up with blues all around him. He learned to play guitar at his father's feet at age four, taking his earliest inspiration from his father's playing. Jones' brother, Casey, is the in-demand Chicago blues drummer who's backed Albert Collins, Koko Taylor and dozens of others. Jones played music as an avocation for many years, working farming jobs until 1971, when he became a professional welder in Belzoni, Mississippi. He's been based in Belzoni ever since. In 1995 and 1996, as part of Fat Possum's Mississippi Juke Joint Caravan, he had the opportunity to perform for the first time outside of Mississippi. His 1995 debut for the Fat Possum/Capricorn label, Mule, is deeply rooted in the rural juke joint tradition of the Delta, and his style is totally original, a combination of synchronized guitar and vocal phrasings and electric country blues. He's joined on the album by drummer Sam Carr and guitarist Big Jack Johnson. Mule was produced by blues scholar/impresario Robert Palmer, author of the book Deep Blues. Pucker Up, Buttercup followed in 1999. ~ Richard Skelly