Mark Muleman Massey - Been A Long Time, Long Time

Artiest/Band: Mark Muleman Massey Album: Been A Long Time, Long Time Release: 16 January 2025 Label: Muletone Records WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/MARKMULEMANMASSEY Hard time leads to hard blues and Mark “Muleman” Massey’s life is a testimony to that. The grandson of sharecroppers, Muleman grew up in Clarksdale, Mississippi – in the cradle of the Delta. At 19, he found himself in Parchman Prison, which was modeled after a slave plantation. Like Leadbelly, R.L. Burnside, and Bukka White who preceded Muleman’s time there, he was living the unimaginable prison life......

Hard time leads to hard blues and Mark “Muleman” Massey’s life is a testimony to that. The grandson of sharecroppers, Muleman grew up in Clarksdale, Mississippi – in the cradle of the Delta. At 19, he found himself in Parchman Prison, which was modeled after a slave plantation. Like Leadbelly, R.L. Burnside, and Bukka White who preceded Muleman’s time there, he was living the unimaginable prison life. Although he’d never picked up a guitar, David Kimbrough, the son of legendary blues icon Junior Kimbrough, took Muleman under his wing and taught him the basics. 

Muleman’s innate talents and inspired experiences earned him a spot in the legendary Parchman Prison Band, which was the first time Muleman opened up for B.B. King. When Muleman completed his time, he vowed to turn the negative into a positive. He’s played every dive and juke joint, and rose through the ranks to play festival main stages and record with the likes of Bobby Rush, Eric Gales, and Earl “Peanutt” Montgomery – to name a few. Muleman played other shows – no longer clad in prison stripes – with B.B. King on the bill. 

He’s been recognized – and recorded by - the Library of Congress. Throughout it all, Muleman gives back whenever he can. His full circle moments came when he – voluntarily – returned to Parchman to help other inmates find musical inspiration. 

The very prison where he was shackled for years now proudly recognizes Muleman with his own Mississippi Blues Trail marker near the entrance. Muleman honors those before him with traditional Blues standards, but his renowned songwriting has earned him great respect, as you will hear in this inspired record out of the legendary Muscle Shoals studio 

Tracks: 01. BEEN A LONG, LONG TIME (MARK MULEMAN  MASSEY/ED HILL/BILLY LAWSON) (3:13)  02. BABY’S GONE (MASSEY/LAWSON) (3:20)  03. CAN’T TELL ME NOTHING ABOUT THE BLUES  (MASSEY/HILL/LAWSON) (3:38)  04. GIVE ME YOUR LOVE (MASSEY/LAWSON) (3:12)  05. HEY GOOD LOOKING (HANK WILLIAMS) (3:21)  06. THAT’S HOW I GOT TO MEMPHIS (TOM T HALL) (3:17)  07. SHE’S MARRIED TO THE STREETS  (MASSEY/HILL/LAWSON) (3:26)  08. I’M SORRY ABOUT THAT (BOBBY WOMACK) (3:17)  09. MY USED TO BE (MASSEY/LAWSON) (3:22)  10. GOING BACK TO MEMPHIS (MASSEY/LAWSON) (3:46)  11. YOUR GOOD STUFF (MASSEY/HILL/LAWSON) (3:20

Musicans: WURLITZER AND B3-CLAYTON IVEY AND JIM WHITEHEAD GUITARS- BILLY LAWSON, MARK MULEMAN MASSEY TRAVIS WAMMACK AND KELVIN HOLLY BASS- BOB N WEAVER DRUMS - ROGER STARR HORNS - THE WEBSTER STREET HORNS HARMONICA - ROBBERT FOSSEN BACKGROUND VOCALS - THE AVALON SISTERS RECORDED AND PRODUCED BY BILLY LAWSON AT WISHBONE RECORDING STUDIOS IN MUSCLE SHOALS, ALABAMA

For More info: Frank Roszak | KBA Recipient 2014 PUBLICIST