JJ Grey & Mofro
North Florida's JJ Grey & Mofro play roots music comprised of raw rural blues, swampy Southern rock, and more with a loose, natural sound while maintaining a potent edge. His songs draw deep on his heritage and the world around him. Grey has traveled across the U.S. and Europe seeking the right musicians, who usually evolve with every release. 2001's Blackwater and 2004's Lochloosa were billed simply to Mofro, and appeared on the Fog City label. After signing to Chicago's Alligator, the band honed their Southern Gothic approach on Country Ghetto (2007) and Orange Blossom (2008) as JJ Grey & Mofro. 2010's Georgia Warhorse was steeped in funky, greasy, slippery Southern R&B, blues, and rock. 2013's This River was their final album for Alligator before releasing 2015's Ol' Glory on Provogue. Olustee appeared in February 2024.
Although JJ Grey & Mofro are based in Jacksonville, Florida, near where founding members JJ Grey and Daryl Hance grew up, the band actually formed across the Atlantic in London. The Floridians were there to work on a recording contract that never happened. While there, the two musicians made the acquaintance of Nathan Shepherd, a keyboard player from Australia, and Fabrice Quentin, a bassist from France. Shepherd and Quentin joined them for a short time under the Mofro moniker. Unfortunately, the band's situation took an almost deadly turn following a show in Jacksonville. Following an evening at the city's Marquee Theater, bandmembers were involved in an auto accident. Grey's wife sustained serious injuries, while Shepherd needed a period of rehabilitation and returned to Australia.
The band's first album, Blackwater, appeared in 2001 to regional critical acclaim, while their sophomore long-player, 2004's Lochloosa, signaled the first of many personnel changes. The album included founding members Grey, Hance, and Quentin, keyboard player Mike Shapiro and drummer Craig Barnette. While Grey used "JJ Grey & Mofro" on all subsequent recordings, from 2007's Country Ghetto through 2015's Ol' Glory, he remained not only its frontman but its only constant member, employing different lineups to suit the material he recorded.
After a nine-year hiatus from recording, JJ Grey & Mofro returned with Olustee in 2024. Adding Southern-fried funk and soul to their heady mix of roots styles, Grey supplanted his quintet -- two guitars, keys, bass, and drums -- with a horn section, a backing chorus, reeds, strings, and winds. The set's 11 songs reflect Florida's unique topography and complex natural environment and history that humans struggle to interact with.
© Linda Seida /TiVo
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Discographie
11 album(s) • Trié par Meilleures ventes
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Orange Blossoms
Rock - Paru chez Alligator Records le 26 août 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Country Ghetto
Rock - Paru chez Alligator Records le 20 févr. 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Choice Cuts
Rock - Paru chez Alligator Records le 3 nov. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brighter Days (Live)
Rock - Paru chez Alligator Records le 13 sept. 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Georgia Warhorse
Rock - Paru chez Alligator Records le 24 août 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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