James JB Barnes – My Mississippi Roots

For JB, keeping the blues alive is not about nostalgia — it is about honoring roots while growing branches

James JB Barnes – My Mississippi Roots
Format: CD – Digital
Label: Independent
Release: 2026

James Barnes — known to audiences throughout the region as JB — carries the blues in his blood. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, and raised in New Jersey after his family moved east in 1965, he grew up steeped in the sound and spirit of the music. On his father’s side, JB traces his lineage back to Mississippi, the wellspring from which so much of this tradition flows. Those “Mississippi Roots” became more than just family history; they formed the bedrock of his artistic calling.

JB didn’t come to the blues casually. He studied the greats—those who laid the path before him, those who continue to shape the form today. That study became devotion, and in 2016, the New Jersey Blues Hall of Fame recognized that devotion, honoring him as a “Great Blues Artist.” His first recording, ‘JB’s Favorite Things’ (2023), established him as an independent artist with something genuine to say. His long-running band, BBD Rhythm & Blues, which he founded in 2012, has been carrying that message across clubs, festivals, and concert halls throughout New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Delaware for more than a decade.

JB’s mission is plain spoken yet profound: to honor the artists who came before him while ensuring the blues remains vibrant in the present. His latest project makes that mission personal. My Mississippi Roots, released during September 2025, is more than a record — it is a testimony. The title track tells the story of JB’s father, Jerry Lee Barnes Sr., a man of quiet determination who journeyed from the deep South to the industrial North in search of work and a better life for his family. “His Mississippi Roots,” JB says, “are my Mississippi Roots.”

Produced by guitarist, songwriter, and longtime friend Anthony Krizan, My Mississippi Roots combines JB’s storytelling with contributions from a host of musicians — including his son, Jarred “Arktkt” Barnes — whose playing brings fresh fire to the tradition. The record traverses the landscape of the blues and beyond: original compositions, heartfelt tributes, and reimagined classics all rendered with conviction. From the introspective ache of “Gotta Make a Change” to the celebratory groove of “The JB Shuffle”; from the political bite of “When Did Crime Become Legal” to the reimagined soul of “Sara Smile” and the deep homage to Carey Bell in “Lonesome Stranger” — Anthony was masterful with co-writing of several of the originals along with providing some great, heartfelt blues guitar playing throughout the entire record. These songs embody both personal narrative and cultural continuity.

The record closes with “Stand Up and Give Peace & Love a Chance,” a call to conscience rooted in JB’s belief in the blues as a force for uplift as well as expression. Drawing on the 1970s funk and R&B spirit of Sly Stone, the song underscores what JB has been demonstrating his whole career: that the blues is living history, a tradition that speaks to struggle and survival, but also to joy, resilience, and the unyielding hope for something better.

For JB, keeping the blues alive is not about nostalgia — it is about honoring roots while growing branches. With ‘My Mississippi Roots,’ he extends his family’s story into the continuum of blues history, reminding us that the music is as much about where we’ve been as it is about where we still hope to go.

Website: https://www.jbkeepingthebluesalive.com/

Tracks:
01. Get up and Go Blues
02. Gotta Make a Change
03. Brown Eyed Blues Man
04. When Did Crime Become Legal
05. Southern Girl
06. My Mississippi Roots
07. The JB Shuffle
08. Sara Smile
09. Lonesome Stranger
10. Wild Horses
11. Blues Falling Down Like Rain
12. Brush with The Blues
13. Stand Up and Give Peace and Love a Chance