Shelby Kemp - Portrait (South Mississippi) (2024) Hi-Res

Shelby Kemp is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist based out of Hattiesburg, MS. As the singer and guitarist of the band Royal Horses, he spends most weeks playing music around the gulf coast. Shelby’s music takes inspiration from country, blues, and folk music of the 20th century, and applies a modern spin on those styles.

Mississippi singer-songwriter and guitarist releases the first track from his solo effort, "Keep Your Lamp Trimmed And Burning", featuring a collection of Delta blues traditional songs made during an impromptu recording session at Color Red Studios in Denver, Colorado. This first single from the upcoming album release has a dark, brooding energy that pulls from the versions made famous by Blind Willie Johnson and Mississippi Fred McDowell. Shelby's powerful voice and stripped-down arrangement of "Keep Your Lamp Trimmed And Burning" shows listeners his impressive range beyond his high-energy stage performances with The Lucky Strokes and Royal Horses.