Andrea Staten of Blue Velvet in Oxford, Miss. on Saturday, April 11, 2026. (©Bruce Newman)
Mississippi guitarist and singer Andrea Staten will bring her deep love for Hill Country Blues to the campground stage at the 2026 Hill Country Picnic, continuing a musical journey that first began for her as a curious fan more than a decade ago.
Staten said her connection to the event started shortly after moving to Oxford in late 2011. At the time, she knew little about Hill Country Blues, despite growing up in the Charleston area surrounded by Mississippi music traditions.
She had seen advertisements for the picnic, but had never actually attended before 2012, when she decided to fully immerse herself in the experience by taking the festival’s guitar workshop and camping throughout the weekend.
“I didn’t really understand the difference,” Staten recalled. “I knew Delta Blues, but I didn’t know Hill Country Blues.”
That changed quickly after attending the workshop, where she learned directly from respected musicians including Kenny Brown, David Kimbrough Jr., Duwayne Burnside, and Garry Burnside.
The experience left a lasting impression.
Held in the summer heat at Betty Davis’ Ponderosa, the workshop introduced Staten to open tunings and the hypnotic rhythms that define Hill Country Blues. One of the first things Brown showed her was how to play in open G tuning, opening up a new musical direction that she still explores today.
Since then, Staten has become a familiar face at the picnic, performing there every year since 2013. This year’s appearance marks her first solo performance in the campground area, a setting she says feels especially personal.
A Sound Rooted in Rhythm
Staten describes her music as heavily influenced by the Hill Country style, built around droning bass notes and rhythmic finger work that creates a trance-like groove.
“It’s a rhythm that’s very different from anything else,” she said. “A lot of people call it hypnotic.”
Fans attending her set can expect a blend of originals, traditional influences, slide guitar, and songs inspired by legendary North Mississippi musician Jessie Mae Hemphill, whose work has become an important touchstone in Staten’s performances.
Though she remains modest about her songwriting, Staten said she plans to include several original songs during her campground appearance. Among them are tunes she has performed at regional festivals in recent years, including a song tentatively titled “Traveling Light.”
The song reflects on heartbreak and personal growth, with lyrics including, “I thought I was rejected / Maybe I was protected / Time will tell / Time will tell,” before shifting toward acceptance with the lines, “I’m gonna go down this road / I don’t need no heavy load / I’m traveling light / Traveling light.”
Staten explained that the song centers on realizing that the end of a difficult relationship had ultimately turned out to be a good thing.
Her style balances raw Hill Country energy with thoughtful songwriting and a relaxed stage presence that fits naturally into the laid-back atmosphere of the picnic campground.
For many longtime attendees, the campground area has become one of the festival’s most beloved gathering spots – a place where musicians and fans connect in a more informal setting throughout the weekend, including a late night jam session after the festival music ends.
Staten says that atmosphere is part of what keeps drawing her back.
“The campground people are really into it,” she said. “They come for the whole experience.”
A Growing Presence in Local Music
Outside the picnic, Staten has quietly become part of several important projects within Mississippi’s blues community.
She recently contributed rhythm guitar and backing vocals to Gary Burnside’s album It’s My Time Now, recorded at Royal Studios with producer Boo Mitchell. Staten described the sessions as both exciting and rewarding, especially since it marked one of her first experiences recording backing vocals in a professional studio environment.
She has also been active performing with the all-female blues group Blue Velvet alongside regional musicians including Effie Burt, Wendy Garrison, bassist Reese Robinson, and drummer Jennifer Mizenko.
Staten spoke enthusiastically about the collaborative spirit surrounding many of the musicians connected to the Hill Country scene, noting that friendships and creative partnerships often grow naturally through these festivals and workshops.
That sense of community remains one of the strongest elements of the picnic itself.
What began for Staten as a chance to “maybe learn something” from a few experienced musicians has grown into more than a decade of friendships, performances, and musical development rooted in Mississippi tradition.
Now, as she prepares to perform once again at the picnic, Staten seems perfectly at home within the same musical culture that first welcomed her years ago in that North Mississippi summer swelter.
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