R.L. Burnside at The Cooler (05-14-1996)

On May 14, 1996, R.L. Burnside played at The Cooler in New York City.  An accomplished blue guitarist, Burnside got his start in rural Mississippi before relocating to Chicago after World War II.  He eventually moved to Memphis in the 1950s and then back to Mississippi.  He recorded and played music sporadically over the course of the next few decades, but achieved more significantly notoriety in the 1990s after being signed to Fat Possum Records. In 1995, his playing attached the interest of Jon Spencer, who recruited him for his touring band that same year. The 1996 album "A Ass Pocket of Whiskey" was recorded with Spencer's band.  Burnside would go on to collaborate with the likes of Kid Rock and the Beastie Boys in the late 90s and early 2000s.  He passed away in 2005 at the age of 78.