BIO

One fateful summer night in a club on Beale Street, the paths of two uniquely gifted musicians aligned. Cameron Kimbrough (grandson of Junior Kimbrough and native of the famed Mississippi hill country) brought his raw, stripped-down rhythms from the open air of Potts Camp, MS, to the crowded room. As the audience took in Kimbrough’s drum beats, another powerful and mesmerizing voice emerged - the sound of Damion “Yella P” Pearson’s harmonica. 

An instant connection grew from this chance encounter, and Cam and Yella teamed up to form Memphissippi Sounds. Kimbrough had grown up hearing the blues at his grandfather’s juke joint, and he later taught himself to play. Yella P was also self-taught on the harmonica. He bought his first blues harp at age 13, spending countless hours honing his style and listening to the blues on Beale Street. Memphissippi Sounds officially debuted their custom sound (a blend of North Mississippi hill country blues combined with Memphis blues, soul, and hip-hop) at the New Daisy Theatre while opening up for guitar legend Eric Gales. Since then, they’ve taken the Memphissippi sound on the road, playing everywhere from juke joints to major music festivals throughout the United States and abroad. In 2021, Memphissippi Sounds released their critically acclaimed debut album, Welcome to the Land, a project that charted internationally and also earned them their first Blues Awards nomination for Best Emerging Artist Album.

AWARDS

Blues Music Awards Nominee - Best Emerging Artist Album

Blues Blast Music Awards Winners

• Best New Artist Debut Album

• Sean Costello Rising Star Award

CHART PLACEMENTS

#1 JPR Living Blues Playlist

#3 United Kingdom Blues Charts

#3 Australian Blues & Roots Charts

PAST PERFORMANCES

Blues Music Awards -The Blues Foundation - Memphis, TN

Beale Street Music Festival - Memphis in May - Memphis, TN

San Jose Jazz Summer Fest - San Jose Jazz - San Jose, CA

Waterfront Blues Festival - Portland, Oregon

Logan Center for the Arts - University of Chicago - Chicago, Illinois

Blues Rules Festival - Crissier, Switzerland

Country Blues Festival - Overton Park Shell - Memphis, TN

San Diego Blues Festival  - San Diego, CA

The Green Room - Crosstown Arts - Memphis, TN 

CBU Fall Music Series - Christian Brothers University - Memphis, TN

Street Music on Paris Avenue - Port Royal South Carolina - Beaufort, SC