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‘Back To The Roots’, which has charted and is doing extremely well and I’m back to my roots. So, as an example, we
did the casino on Friday night and then on Saturday we did the Farish Street Festival in Jackson, as the True Believers
at five o’clock, and then as Mr Sipp at eight o’clock the same day. Then we went to New Orleans and did the House
of Blues the first day as The True Believers and the second day as Mr. Sipp, using the same band. The gospel group
has a few more members. People play the game of either gospel or blues but they listen to them both and love the music
and it’s the ones that are brave enough to do it and don’t worry about what might be said, and I am that guy. I made
up my mind that I was going to do the blues and whatever people were going to say they were going to say it anyway.
I have a club called ‘Sipps Place’ at 143 West Railroad Ave North, Magnolia, Mississippi, in downtown Magnolia.
The idea struck me maybe 2016 and we have been open for over eighteen months at this point. It’s my contribution
for giving back to my community, number one, my contribution to keeping the blues alive. We do a gospel brunch
every first and third Sunday. We have great food and live entertainment, karaoke, open mic and it’s a beautiful place
with guitars hanging on the walls. It’s open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. I wanted to give my community a part
of what I see when I go out to places and I wanted to give them something where they didn’t have to travel to say New
Orleans or Memphis to get that vibe. I will say it’s a hard business and it takes up a lot of my time and my wife’s time
and my kids’ time but it’s there. I just recently bought another place that I’m going to do something with, but I don’t
know what. It is a venue in this area. I plan to have a Mr. Sipp blues and funk festival in that area by 2021. They are
clearing the area soon and we then plan to get the stage built and get the electricity run underground, so we are moving
fast on it.
We are planning a new album in 2020 and so far we are calling it ‘Sippnotized’, all original material with myself
playing a lot of the instruments and band members playing on other tracks. It will be on Malaco Records. Other labels
have shown an interest in me, but Tommy Couch Jr and I have a relationship and I can call him anytime. I wouldn’t
have that with another label. That record was set to be released in April 2019 but I was touring so much then. I’ve
recorded some of the songs up to ten times and I’m going through the stage of picking the best version.
I’m still offering my services to the gospel world and I record and produce other artists as well and I’m working on
my daughter’s album and there is a girl named Vickie McKnight from Baton Rouge, a solo soul artist, and I pitch
material to different gospel artists such as Dottie Peoples and many more.
The biggest things I’m proud of in music is, I beat the odds, and what I mean by that is folks still say to make it and
be successful you have to leave Mississippi, but I still live here and I’m touring the world and I’m a living witness that
you can make it in your home town. Another thing I’m proud of is doing exactly what I want to do and being able to
support a family. I have four girls and I’m in a position now where I can spoil them a bit and that’s a great feeling as
a father.
Dallas, Texas, Night skyline.
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