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Sherman
Lee Dillon was born in Meadville, Mississippi (pop 451) in 1951.
Fifteen miles outside of "town" is where Sherman Lee
spent his formative years. Cousin Geraldene had a piano, so whenever
he'd walk to her house, she'd give him lessons. Uncle Erastus
taught the old time shaped note singing schools and made sure
his nephews carried on the tradition. At age 12, Sherman began
playing the guitar, at 14 the harmonica, at 15 the banjo and steel
guitar (not to mention playing trumpet and baritone in the school
band and teaching his brother the tenor sax).
Living in a dry county with only one "black-topped" road, his performing experience had mostly been for neighborhood gatherings with payment in homemade wine. One night a band from McComb (Bo Didley's home) drove up at the Dillon house. They asked him to be their guitar player and go to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to make a record with them. At the age of 16 Sherman left home and has been playing music for nearly 40 years.
While many of his friends and partners went to Memphis, Nashville, New York, L.A., or hooked up big names (Ozzy Osbourne, Little Richard, Bobby Rush, Eddie Rabbit, Cassandra Wilson, Wallflowers, Little Milton), Sherman took a less sensational but probably more rewarding road. Married at age 19 he and his wife raised 7 children while he still plays the bars, honky-tonks and juke joints of Mississippi.
Deciding to be a regional performer has actually worked quite well. Rufus Thomas, King Floyd, William Bell, Mckinnley Mitchell, Sam Myers, J.T. Watkins (to mention a few) have called Sherman Lee to play with them when they were in the area. Sherman has performed in various configurations on shows with B.B. King, Johnny Winter, Koko Taylor, Little Milton, Bobby Rush, and others.
When Sandy Davis, Casting Director for O Brother, Where Art Thou?, came to Jackson she used him as a voice model, personal musical coach to Tim Blake Nelson (Delmar), and consulted him almost daily throughout their Mississippi filming. He was one of the three Dobro players in the film, and was asked to perform at the cast party.
Upon arriving in Jackson, Russ Ringsak of PRM's Prairie Home Companion called Sherman Lee with comp tickets in exchange for directing him to an authentic "Blues Joint" where the locals go.
Staying at home has enabled Sherman to be personally involved with the lives of his fans. Since 1992, he has organized Mississippi's longest running annual Earth Day event. In 2003, he ran for Governor of Mississippi on the Green Party ticket. He has musical "children" performing all around the US, and sponsors many open jams.
Sherman Lee was invited to visit a friend in Nashville and do some performances on Printer's Alley with the agreement that it would be recorded. Since most of the children are grown and moved out of the house, Sherman Lee Dillon is ready to see more of the world.