GRAMMY Winning Hill Country Bluesman Cedric Burnside comes to Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts at UConn Storrs on October 9

GRAMMY Award-winning singer-songwriter Cedric Burnside brings his musical heritage from the rolling hills of Northern Mississippi to Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts on the UConn Storrs Campus for an intimate performance on Thursday, October 9 at 7:30 p.m.

Burnside, the grandson of pioneering bluesman R.L. Burnside, won Best Traditional Blues Album at the 2021 GRAMMY Awards for “I Be Trying” and earlier this year released “Hill Country Love,” produced by Luthor Dickinson, which was nominated for a 2025 GRAMMY Award in the same category.

“Hill Country Love” explores Burnside’s singular experiences and musical heritage from Northern Mississippi, which began at age 13 playing drums for his grandfather. His recording career spans more than a decade. 

“I’ve been traveling my whole life, and the song ‘Hill Country Love’ gave me a chance to let people know that I love what I do and give a sense of how we do it in Mississippi,” he says. “So that’s what I was thinking about when I was writing that song – where I come from and also where I’m going.”

The new recording touches on rock, rhythm & blues and hip-hop elements and includes Burnside’s version of “You Gotta Move,” the Mississippi Fred McDowell classic popularized by the Rolling Stones. 

Burnside has also appeared in several films, including Tempted and Big Bad Love (both released in 2001) and the 2006 hit Black Snake Moan, and he played the title character in 2021’s Texas Red. He is a recipient of a National Heritage Fellowship, the country’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts and was recently recognized with the 2024 Mississippi Governor's Art Award for Excellence in Music. He has performed and recorded with such diverse musicians as Jimmy Buffett, Bobby Rush, and Widespread Panic.

JORGENSEN GALLERY:

Prior to the performance, patrons are invited to Jorgensen Gallery for “Eight Days a Week: An Illustrated Record of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” an exhibition of rock music memorabilia that will be on display during Jorgensen’s fall schedule through December 6. This unique exhibition of rock music memorabilia, in conjunction with the 70^th anniversary of Rock ‘n’ Roll, is from the archive of journalist, author, and radio disc jockey Ken Best that features iconic photos, album covers, posters and promotional materials that he collected while writing about music for newspapers in New Jersey and Connecticut and interviewing musicians and authors on the air during almost 30 years at WPKN in Bridgeport and WHUS in Storrs.

TICKETS, BOX OFFICE AND OTHER INFORMATION:

Tickets for this concert are $45 with some discounts available. Tickets can be purchased on the Jorgensen website, jorgensen.uconn.edu. Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts is located at 2132 Hillside Road on the UConn campus in Storrs. The Box Office is open Mon – Fri, 10 am to 5 pm. For questions and assistance, please email jorgensen.tickets@uconn.edu or call 860-486-4226.  Ample parking is available in North Garage near Jorgensen. The cost of parking is included in the price of a ticket (North Garage only). (Note: all artists, events, dates, programs, and policies are subject to change.)

ARTIST/PUBLICITY PHOTOS: Cedric Burnside Photos 9.11.25

MEDIA SPONSORS:  Connecticut Public, CT Insider, Hartford Courant, 98.7 WNLC

ABOUT JORGENSEN:

Opened in December of 1955, Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts presents 25-30 diverse performances each season, from nationally and internationally acclaimed artists and ensembles ranging from classical music to world music and dance, classical ballet and contemporary dance, comedy, family programming and contemporary entertainment.