Biography

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Mississippi Heat (featuring Lurrie Bell)
One Eye Open, Live at Rosa’s Lounge, Chicago
Delmark 1783

As bandleader and composer, Pierre Lacocque’s vision has never wavered since he founded Mississippi Heat in 1991. “Mississippi Heat not only breathes new life into the classic sounds of Chicago Blues but they also uplift with joy and dedication everything they play. Pierre Lacocque is that rare younger generation harpist who’s absorbed the lessons of subtlety, silence and solo construction from the masters.” – David Whiteis, Chicago Reader

1 Rosa’s Strut 8:21
2 19 Years Old 5:10
3 I’ve Got To Sleep With One Eye Open 7:43
4 Dirty Deal 6:02
5 Honest I Do 6:34
6 Rock Steady 4:48
7 Jukin’ 5:38
8 Cold, Cold Feeling 6:58
9 Cool Twist 3:57
10 She Ain’t Your Toy 5:29
11 Listen Here 3:41

*DVD bonus track
12 Moanin’ & Cryin’ 6:56

Pierre Lacocque, harmonica
Inetta Visor, vocals
Lurrie Bell, vocals (2, 8), guitar
Max Valldeneu, guitar
Chris “Hambone” Cameron, organ, keyboard
Spurling Banks, bass
Kenny Smith, drums

Recorded at 24 bit/96kHz High Resolution Audio, live on July 18, 2005


1 Rosa’s Strut 8:21 (Pierre Lacocque, Ransart Music, BMI)
2 19 Years Old 5:10 (James Oden, Arc Music Corp., BMI)
3 I’ve Got To Sleep With One Eye Open 7:43
(Frederick Knight, Malaco Music Co., BMI)
4 Dirty Deal 6:02 (Pierre Lacocque, Ransart Music, BMI)
5 Honest I Do 6:34 (Reed/Abner, Conrad Music, a division of
Arc Music Corp., BMI)
6 Rock Steady 4:48
(Aretha Franklin, Springtime Music Inc., BMI)
7 Jukin’ 5:38 (Pierre Lacocque, Ransart Music, BMI)
8 Cold, Cold Feeling 6:58
(Jesse Mae Robinson, EMI Unart Catalog Inc., BMI)
9 Cool Twist 3:57 (Pierre Lacocque, Ransart Music, BMI)
10 She Ain’t Your Toy 5:29
(Pierre Lacocque, Ransart Music, BMI)
11 Listen Here 3:41 (Eddie Harris, Seventh House Ltd., BMI)


Produced by Pierre Lacocque, Robert G. Koester and Steve Wagner
Recorded, Mixed and Mastered by Steve Wagner and Eric Butkus
Mixed and Mastered at Riverside Studio, Chicago
Directed by Tom Koester
Assisted by Bob J. Koester
Edited by Steve Wagner
Camera: Tom Koester, Steve Wagner, Frank Corpus
Photography: Marc Monaghan
Design: Dave Forte

A special thanks goes to the entire Delmark recording crew for your
enthusiasm, tirelessness and professionalism. It was a pleasure working
with all of you. Thank you to Tony Mangiullo and Mama Rosa at Rosa's
Lounge, our fans, friends and loved ones for your support. Because of you
all, that night turned a to be a magical evening. Thank you also to Bob
Koester and to our manager Michel Lacocque for making this live recording a
viable idea. Finally, I would like to extent my gratitude to Steve Wagner
for your creative insights and team spirit as well as to my band for making
this live recording a most pleasant and inspiring process. -PIERRE

Delmark thanks Mama Rosa, Tony Mangiullo and the entire staff at Rosa’s Lounge.

Also available on Delmark DVD:
Tail Dragger, My Head Is Bald, Live at Vern’s Friendly Lounge, Chicago (Delmark DVD 1782 or on CD: DE 782) with Lurrie Bell, Billy Branch, Jimmy Dawkins

CDs by Mississippi Heat on Van der Linden Recordings, available at mississippiheat.net and cdbaby.com
Straight From The Heart (1992)
Learned The Hard Way (1994)
Thunder In My Heart (1995)
Handyman (1999)
On CrossCut Records, available at www.crosscut.de
Footprints On The Ceiling (2002 --- ccd 11071)
Glad You're Mine (2005 -- ccd 11085)

Call or write for a free catalog of jazz and blues:
Delmark Records • 1-800-684-3480 • 4121 N. Rockwell, Chicago, IL 60618 www.delmark.com
CP 2005 Delmark Records

Welcome to Mississippi Heat, one of the most adaptable blues bands in the world. I've seen Mississippi Heat as a four piece in the back room of Jazz Record Mart in Chicago. Later that same day, the band included a horn section and female backup singers at the Chicago Blues Festival. No matter the size or the lineup, Mississippi Heat is a perfect example of ensemble work.

If a band member can sing, that flavor is added to the gumbo. Even when there's a special guest on an album (Billy Boy Arnold, Carl Weathersby, Zora Young, Peter "Madcat" Ruth and Ken Saydak have all felt the Heat), their musical contribution blends right in.

The band has been in every kind of live situation in the Chicagoland area. Heading around the Midwest, there are places like The Knickerbocker Saloon in downtown Lafayette, Indiana. Across the state, they're favorites at The Key Palace Theatre in Redkey (About a half hour northeast of Muncie). They've also played France, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Germany, Norway, Venezuela and Canada (including The Montreal International Jazz Festival).

The band were even featured on national television, during a broadcast of Monday Night Football. The game was in Indianapolis and at the time, ABC would highlight a couple of host city hotspots. The cameras showed St. Elmo's Steakhouse and The Slippery Noodle Inn. As the voiceover was indicating what the club was and did, there's a shot of bandleader Pierre Lacocque on stage, wailing on harmonica.

Pierre Lacocque was born and lived in Israel with stints in Belgium, France and Germany before arriving in Chicago in the summer of '69 at the age of 17. That summer Pierre got his blues baptism. According to Pierre, his papa gave him his first harmonica at age 3 or 4. He had a good start because of his young appreciation for the soul giants of the 60s (Aretha, Otis and Ray). By the time he arrived in Chicago, he was washed over by the blues power harp of his first concert: Big Walter Horton at Ida Noyes on Dorchester and 58th. This was followed by a healthy blues diet of Little Walter, Junior Wells, James Cotton and Cary Bell. According to Pierre, it was older brother and future Mississippi Heat manager Michel who persuaded him to check out Junior Wells at Theresa's.

It's nice to see a family working together. Sister Elisabeth has designed the band's album covers on previous recordings. The next generation of Lacocques is also musicians in various degrees. Talk about a Thanksgiving jam session.

After a college stint in Montreal for six years (along with nourishment of the music of John Mayall), Pierre returned to Chicago where he raised a family and made a career in the non-music world. All the while he was friends with fellow Chicago musician Tad Robinson, who he met at church, of all places. See, there's always a link between Saturday night and Sunday morning. Pierre was re-introduced to members of the Chicago blues community. Mississippi Heat was born in 1991 and has been continuing the city's blues heritage.

Pierre likes to try out a new song at every gig. That's right. Every gig. He's constantly writing new material. A tune like "Rosa's Strut," gives folks an instant taste of what the evening holds in store. Like a good boxer, he picks his harmonica punches instead of Blues Traveling you to death with a flurry of notes. His playing is smooth but can pack a wallop. Pierre Lacocque is the blues equivalent to a bottle of Chimay.

Following in the grand tradition of female soul shakers is Inetta Visor. The lady of the band since the band's Footprints On The Ceiling album, Visor is a Chicago storyteller who can hold her own with the boys. She can sing gutbucket blues and smack you with the bucket if need be. As she mentions at Rosa's, "A true diva ain't scared to sweat." Refreshing to hear since nowadays terms like "Diva" and "Drama Queen" have become euphemisms for "Great big pain in the..."

Mississippi Heat continues the fine tradition of Chicago blues. Street harmonica, a bold lady vocalist, guitarists and keyboards from deep in the city gelling with a rhythm section that just won't quit. Plus the band's leader is writing original material as you read this. In today's blues times, it's real easy to put on a blues show with all the greatest hits of the 50s and early 60s. It's real easy to be a human jukebox and please the beer drinkers in the house. The band is able to take a song like Aretha Franklin's "Rock Steady" and gives it the Chicago soul/blues treatment and fortunately doesn't become a human jukebox.

The band has an impressive lineup of alumni players including: Billy Flynn, Sam Lay, Calvin Jones, Shirley Johnson, Ike Anderson, Deitra Farr, Katherine Davis, George Baze, Bob Stroger, Mary Lane, James Wheeler and Robert Covington.

On July 18, 2005, Mississippi Heat was a septet at Rosa's. Lurrie Bell (whose Delmark albums are also must-haves) was the band's guest weapon on guitar and vocals. Mississippi Heat and Delmark are a perfect fit. Both are time-honored institutions, celebrating the past and spotlighting the future. Enjoy.
- Matthew Socey

Matthew Socey is host of THE BLUES HOUSE PARTY on WFYI 90.1 FM and a contributing writer for NUVO Newsweekly, both in Indianapolis. His articles have appeared in Downbeat, Blues Access, Big City Blues and Blues Revue.