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Northeast Mississippi Journal: Swamp sounds - Papa Mali to headline Down on Main today
By W. Derek Russell | Jul 13, 2017

TUPELO – Papa Mali has been around the block once or twice.

With countless collaborations with musicians like Willie Nelson and members of The Grateful Dead, the 60-year-old Vicksburg-born musician is right where he wants to be at this stage in his life: touring and playing music.

He’ll be doing just that when he plays the first Down on Main concert of the summer in downtown Tupelo today.

“I’ve got a close tie to the state of Mississippi,” Papa Mali said. “I love playing all over it.”

Born Malcolm Helm Welbourne, Mali’s parents relocated to Shreveport, Louisiana, when he was still young, something for which he credits his music.

“Like a lot of kids in my generation, I was inspired by the music around me in the late ‘60s,” he said. “Once I started playing guitar, I noticed music everywhere I went. My grandparents were from New Orleans and a lot of the music I was loving was coming out of there.”

Mali said it’s hard to look at yourself and classify a certain genre when you’re a musician, but others tag him as having a “swamp sound.”

“I’ve gotten comparisons to Tony Joe White and Dr. John,” he said. “They were both big influences on me. I don’t compare myself to them because they’re still my heroes. I had lots of heroes. I grew up listening to The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, Dusty Springfield and everything coming out of Stax in Memphis and Muscle Shoals.”

Mali started a band in 2009 called 7 Walkers with Grateful Dead founding member Bill Kreutzmann and The Meters’ founding bass player George Porter Jr. Along with Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, the two co-wrote the band’s album in 2010.

Solo, Mali has released three albums over the past 20 years.

“Somewhere along the way I developed my own style in making records, touring and traveling and that’s what I’m still doing today,” he said.

Papa Mali will perform today after opening act Heath Green and the Makeshifters from Birmingham, Alabama, perform at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free.

Down on Main started in 2009 in Fairpark by bringing live music acts to the outdoor downtown Tupelo setting. Since its inception, more than 50 acts have performed as a part of the annual concert series including Paul Thorn, Drew Holcomb, Jason Isbell and Marty Stuart.

Two more concerts are set for this summer, with Kingfish and Mr. Sipp performing on Aug. 10 and Jeff Crosby and the Refugees and George McConnell on Sept. 14