Along with his work in
the Squirrel Nut Zippers, singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist
Jim Mathus pursued projects outside of the group (often under slightly different names, including
James Mathus,
Jas Mathus, Jimbo "Hambone" Mathus, and
Jimbo Mathus), appearing on collaborator
Andrew Bird's albums
Thrills and Bowl of Fire. In 1997,
Mathus,
Zippers bassist Stu Cole, producer
Mike Napolitano, and pianist
Greg Bell formed the Knockdown Society and released
Play Songs for Rosetta, a collection of bluesman
Charley Patton's songs that benefited his daughter Rosetta and her family. His music took another turn in late 2001 with the release of National Antiseptic, this time offering tribute to the electric juke joint swamp rock of the Deep South.
Mathus followed up with the similarly bluesy and eclectic Stop and Let the Devil Ride in 2003, and two years later Knockdown South was issued.
Mathus decided to return to the acoustic roots of Mississippi blues and country with Old Scool Hot Wings, which came out in 2006. Also appearing in 2006, this time under the name
Jimbo Mathus, was the album
Jimmy the Kid, released by Artemis Records.
Mathus stuck with the
Jimbo moniker for his 2011 full-length
Confederate Buddha.
Blue Light, a six-song solo vinyl EP, arrived in 2012, followed by the full-length
White Buffalo in 2013, which was attributed to
Jimbo Mathus & the Tri-State Coalition, a group that included guitarist Matt Pierce, bassist Terrence Bishop, keyboardist Eric Carlton, and drummer Ryan Rogers. ~ Heather Phares