Pierre Lacocque signs a contract for a new Mississippi Heat album with Delmark Records:
DON’T LOOK BACK!
PIERRE LACOCQUE’s MISSISSIPPI HEAT – “Don’t Look Back“
Pierre Lacocque, leader of Mississippi Heat, and Delmark President Julia A. Miller signed the contract for a 6th album by the band on the Chicago label.
“Any master of the arts always looks creatively ahead, never back. Each of Mississippi Heat’s 13 previous records since their 1992 debut album, Straight From the Heart, has shown a growing confidence on every level. There’s confidence in the songwriting, the musical arrangements, the swing, the powerful vocals, and the contributions of every guest musician. That confidence can only grow through decades of studying, playing, touring, and recording. Lacocque’s 14 originals illustrate his development as a mature musician, writer, and arranger”, writes Blues Music Magazine’s Art Tipaldi in his liner notes for the new album.
“From the beginning, my brother Michel urged me to write original songs to distinguish our band from others who tended to do covers. I wrote most of the material on each of our CDs. Here, all the songs are mine. These songs are centered around my life, joys, and concerns’, says Lacocque.
The album features a constellation of great blues musicians: PIERRE is on harp, of course, but also vocalists SHERYL YOUNGBLOOD, who sings 9 tunes, as well as long time Mississippi Heat vocalist INETTA VISOR, and special guest vocalist DANIELLE NICOLE in her Delmark debut! AND harmonica ace OMAR COLEMAN with a formidable band including guitarists GILES COREY & BILLY FLYNN, pianists JOHNNY IGUANA & BROTHER JOHN KATTKE, and drummer KENNY “BEEDY EYES” SMITH.
Release date – Mid August 2025
“Lacocque’s 14 originals illustrate his development as a mature musician, writer, and arranger. … Lacocque’s words paint lyrical pictures. … His songs have matured into vignettes that every listener can relate to. (Pierre) no longer imitates the masters but forges ahead with his unique style and voice. (This recording is) wonderful.”
ART TIPALDI, EDITOR OF BLUES MUSIC MAGAZINE AND AUTHOR OF CHILDREN OF THE BLUES, PROFILES OF 49 BLUES MUSICIANS. FROM THE LINER NOTES (AND PERSONAL COMMUNICATION)
Pierre Lacocque
Photo by Elbio Barilari
Pierre Lacocque and Sheryl Youngblood.
Photo by Roman Sobus.
About Mississippi Heat
Led by harmonica master and songwriter Pierre Lacocque, Mississippi Heat is a world-class Chicago Blues Band. Their motto is “Traditional Blues With A Unique Sound” as they present fresh yet vintage-based musical ideas.
MISSISSIPPI HEAT’s name is a reflection of Pierre’s reverence for Mississippi’s blues culture and music. The band’s conviction is that there is no deeper music than Delta-inspired blues to express what lies in everyone’s soul. They have received world-wide critical acclaim, including from Living Blues Magazine: “MISSISSIPPI HEAT delivers its traditional urban blues with a freshness, energy and competence that makes them a treasure on today’s Chicago scene.”
Mississippi Heat is known internationally for their passionate blues delivery. Overseas and national touring have been an integral part of their work for decades. The band has appeared at many world-famous festivals including many in the US (like the Pocono’s and the Chicago Blues Festivals), Scandinavia, Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Canada, Tunisia, Finland, Venezuela and in Mexico, among many others. Besides a scheduled European tour for 2018, they will also soon perform in Dubai.
Buddy Guy has gone on record saying that it’s “been a long time since I heard a good blues band like this.” And recently the band received this critical acclaim from Bonnie Tallman at the Billtown Blues Festival (Hughesville, PA): “Can’t find enough words to express how blown away everyone was with the Mississippi Heat performance! It was spectacular in every way.”
The band has made waves on the blues charts by regularly reaching the #1 spot on Living Blues Magazine’s radio charts.
Current Lineup
- Pierre Lacocque, Harmonica
- Sheryl Youngblood, Lead Vocals
- Brian Quinn, Bass
- Terrence Williams, Drums
- Daneshia Hamilton, Guest Star, Lead Vocals
- Inetta Visor, Guest Star, Lead Vocals
- Giles Corey, Guest Star, Guitar + Vocals
- Chris “Hambone” Cameron, Guest Star, B-3 and Piano
- Lurrie C. Bell, Special Guest, Guitar + Vocals
- Carl Weathersby, Special Guest, Guitar + Vocals
- Kenny Smith, Special Guest, Drums + Vocals
Discography
- Straight From The Heart (Van der Linden Records, 1992)
- Learned The Hard Way (Van der Linden Records, 1994)
- Thunder In My Heart (Van der Linden Records, 1995)
- Handyman (Van der Linden Records, 1998)
- Footprints On The Ceiling (Crosscut Records, 2002)
- Glad You’re Mine (Crosscut Records, 2005)
- One Eye Open: Live At Rosa’s Lounge, Chicago (Delmark Records, 2005; also on DVD)
- Hattiesburg Blues (Delmark Records, 2008)
- Let’s Live It Up (Delmark Records, 2010)
- Delta Bound (Delmark Records, 2012)
- Warning Shot (Delmark Records, 2014)
- Cab Driving Man (Delmark Records, 2016)
- Madeleine (Van der Linden Recordings, 2022)
PIERRE LACOCQUE’s albums | Flickr
Mississippi Heat ~ Blues Music
Pierre Lacocque’s
MISSISSIPPI HEAT
Traditional Blues With A Unique Sound
MISSISSIPPI HEAT has been nominated for BLUES BAND OF THE YEAR at this year’s Living Blues Awards! Voting is now open at LivingBlues.com
RECORDING RELEASE UPDATE
Our album, DON’T LOOK BACK (14 ORIGINAL TRACKS)
HERE ARE SOME PRE-RELEASE ADVANCED QUOTES:
“Excellent work, Pierre! Your unique and thoughtful blues playing uplifts the world. What a significant music project!”
CORKY SIEGEL
PIANO AND HARMONICA LEGEND, CO-FOUNDER OF THE SIEGEL-SCHWALL BAND, LEADER OF CHAMBER BLUES,
& BLUES HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE
“Congrats!!! … smokin’ top to bottom!”
PAUL BLAKEMORE
AUDIO ENGINEER
MULTI-GRAMMY WINNER-AUDIO ENGINEER
SOCIETY LIFE MEMBER
“I can only describe this recording with one word: MAGNIFICENT!”
WESTSIDE ANDY LINDERMAN
RENOWNED BLUES HARMONICA MAESTRO
“Lacocque’s 14 originals illustrate his development as a mature musician, writer, and arranger. … Lacocque’s words paint lyrical pictures. … His songs have matured into vignettes that every listener can relate to. (Pierre) no longer imitates the masters but forges ahead with his unique style and voice. (This recording is) wonderful.”
ART TIPALDI
EDITOR OF BLUES MUSIC MAGAZINE AND AUTHOR OF CHILDREN OF THE BLUES, PROFILES OF 49 BLUES MUSICIANS.
FROM THE LINER NOTES (AND PERSONAL COMMUNICATION)
NEW 2026 RECORDING PROJECT – ARGENTINA
A studio album is slated for this Summer. Pierre will travel to Argentina to record with Daniel Raffo and his King Size band. Special guests will also contribute. Pierre will provide the original songs. The project will be mixed and mastered in in the US. More details soon!
PIERRE LACOCQUE INTERVIEW ON TALKIN’ BLUES PODCAST
Pierre had a long conversation with Talkin’Blues podcast. Click here to listen.
“CHICAGO IS MY HOME” ON YOUTUBE
A Mississippi Heat YouTube (audio-pictorial) documentary was released. Pierre wrote the autobiographical song “Chicago Is My Home,” originally recorded on Delmark Records (Hattiesburg Blues, DE 795, 2008). Lurrie Bell leads the song on guitar and vocals. The backup band consists of Carl Weathersby (RIP) on rhythm guitar, Kenny “Beedy Eyes” Smith on drums, Spurling Banks on bass (RIP), Christopher “Hambone” Cameron on keys, and Pierre Lacocque on harmonica. You can see pictures from that recording session and from that era. As of early October of 2024, “Chicago Is My Home” has garnered close to 394,007 streams on Spotify.
CONGRATULATIONS to ALL inductees to the Chicago Blues Hall of Fame!
Please join us in congratulating Inetta Visor for the prestigious Legendary Chicago Blues Hall of Fame. We also wish to single out new Legendary Chicago Blues Hall of Fame Michael Freeman and new Master Artists Brother John Kattke for his induction. The awards will be announced on Sunday, August 4th at the Buddy Guy’s Legends club.
Inetta Visor has worked with Mississippi Heat for 23 years, she appears on 10 of our CD’s, including our upcoming recording, Don’t Look Back. Inetta also appears on Delmark’s DVD, Live at Rosa’s. Inetta has given all she has to these projects. We are ecstatic for her. It is so well deserved. Thank you, Inetta, and thank you Chicago Blues Hall of Fame.
Michael Freeman has worked his magic on 7 of our CD’s (including our upcoming CD, Don’t Look Back). Michael’s great ear, patience, his attention to detail, and his astute coaching are some of the reasons he is named to this most prestigious award. Thank you, Michael, and thank you Chicago Blues Hall of Fame.
Brother John Kattke played guitar with us once in an International Festival in Caracas, Venezuela years ago when travel to that country was still open. It was a memorable show with members of the audience spontaneously joining in dance on stage with the band. Beautiful people! Brother John does stellar work on the organ, some Wurlitzer and piano (Johnny Iguana does most of the piano) on our upcoming LP and CD, Don’t Look Back. Another well-deserved award for a master performer!
Pierre Lacocque’s Mississippi Heat: [L-R]: Yoshimi Hirata (Bass, Vocals), Pierre Lacocque (Harmonica, Bandleader), Sheryl Youngblood (Lead Vocals), Giles Corey (Guitar, Vocals), and Terrence “T-Man” Williams (Drums).
Photo by Foto Dan.
Pierre Lacocque’s Mississippi Heat, featuring Giles Corey (Guitar, Vocals), Pierre Lacocque (Harmonica, Bandleader), Sheryl Youngblood (Lead Vocals), Terrence “T-Man” Williams (Drums), and Yoshimi Hirata (Bass, Vocals).
Photo by Roman Sobus.
Pierre Lacocque’s Mississippi Heat, featuring Yoshimi Hirata (Bass, Vocals), Terrence “T-Man” Williams (Drums), Inetta Visor (Lead Vocals), Sheryl Youngblood (Lead Vocals), Pierre Lacocque (Harmonica, Bandleader), and Giles Corey (Guitar, Vocals).
Photo by Roman Sobus.
Pierre Lacocque: Bandleader
On the back of Mississippi Heat’s CD Footprints On The Ceiling, there is a photograph of a man with his eyes closed, playing the harmonica with such passion, that one is almost stunned by the actual silence of that frozen moment. Yet when he is heard live or on record on his harmonica, the listener is caught up by its fervent, inspiring presence. The man behind the harmonica is Pierre Lacocque, Mississippi Heat’s band leader and song writer.
Pierre was born on October 13, 1952 in Israel of Christian-Belgian parenthood. However, shortly after his birth, Pierre’s family moved to Germany and France before going back to Belgium in 1957. By the age of 6, Pierre had already lived in three countries. A preview to his future musical career on the road. Pierre’s childhood in Brussels resonated with the intense and impassioned Scriptural upbringing of his father, a Protestant minister, now living in Chicago, who became a world famous Old Testament scholar. Pierre, his brother Michel (Mississippi Heat’s General Manager) and his sister Elisabeth (who did the artwork design on the Heat’s first three CD’s) went to a Jewish Orthodox School in Brussels. After the Holocaust, Pierre’s parents and paternal grandfather (also a minister) felt that their children and grandchildren should learn about the suffering and plight of the Jews, as well as about Judaism in general and its philosophical and theological depths.
At the Athenee Maimonides (Brussels) they were the only non-Jews ever (and since) to attend. At the Athenee Maimonides they learned old and modern Hebrew, all the religious rites and prayers, as well as studied the rabbinical commentaries on the books of the Old Testament. With the devotion to his studies, there was little time or room for much else. The family culture and priority was on intellectual pursuits, not on play such as soccer or music (two old interests of his). Serious studying, the reading of existential philosophers and theologians, were the only worthwhile activities condoned and encouraged by Pierre’s parents, his father in particular. But thanks to the radio in young Pierre’s room, there was just enough opportunity to unravel the subtle auditory endowments of Destiny. From the radio he heard and was moved by such soulful singers as Ray Charles, Otis Redding, and Aretha Franklin. Pierre was careful to keep the volume down. This is where he began to appreciate African- American music. …
The sound of the harmonica was first introduced to him when he lived in Alsace, France. His father was then a minister in a small village called Neuviller (1955-1957), not far from Albert Schweitzer’s birthplace in Gunsbach. Pierre’s father had bought him a green plastic harmonica toy. He was about three years old at the time. He remembers blowing in and out of it and feeling a surge of sadness that felt so familiar. As he experimented with the toy he often cried listening to its plaintive sounds. It was not until he came to Chicago in 1969, however, that he finally detected his destiny: playing the blues on the harmonica. He had never heard the blues saxophone-like amplified harmonica sound until then. In 1969 Pierre’s father received a full-time Old Testament professorship at the Chicago Theological Seminary, located on the University of Chicago’s campus. The family decided to move permanently to the Windy City and leave Belgium for good. Pierre was sixteen years old.
The golden era of the 1950’s electric Chicago sound was still having a vibrant impact on local bands. Luminaries such as Muddy Waters, Otis Spann, Little Walter, Junior Wells, Elmore James, James Cotton, Howlin’ Wolf, Jimmy Rogers, Jimmy Reed, and so many others, were still dynamic forces to reckon with in the late 1960’s. Unfortunately some had died by the time Pierre arrived in Chicago. Little Walter, Pierre’s mentor and main influence, died in 1968 following a head wound he acquired during a fight. … Otis Spann, Muddy Waters’ long-time band member and perhaps the best blues piano player ever, had also recently died of cancer.
On a Saturday night in the early Fall of 1969, Pierre decided to go to a concert being held at the University of Chicago’s Ida Noyes. He had no exposure to Chicago Blues before then, and had no expectations as to what he was about to hear. As he listened to the band playing, he became overwhelmed with emotion and excitement at a sound he never heard before: A saxophone-sounding amplified harmonica! In his own words, “ I was absolutely stunned and in awe by the sounds I heard coming from that harmonica player and his amplifier … It sounded like a horn, yet distinct and unique”. The harmonica player went by the name of Big Walter Horton, a name he had never heard before but who changed his life forever. What he heard that night, the music, the mood, the style and sounds, moved his soul.
From that moment on, Blues music, and blues harmonica in particular, became an obsession. Two days later, on a Monday morning, Pierre bought himself his first harmonica (or “harp” as it is called in blues circles). Next he was buying records, instruction books, anything to do with the blues harp. He was talking to people, picking up new knowledge wherever he could. Obsession led to passion and intense dedication, and Pierre was practicing the harp six, seven hours a day, not paying attention to the clock (although he is known to check the clock now to remind him when he needs to get off the stage, because if it was up to him he would keep on playing beyond the scheduled sets! His band members tease him about that).
Pierre eventually finished High School (like Paul Butterfield, Pierre graduated from the University of Chicago’s High School, better known as “The Lab School”. The two never met, however, as Butterfield had left the school before 1969). Pierre then left Chicago to go to College in Montreal, Canada. He played harp through his College years, making a few dollars here and there. While at Stanislas College and later, at McGill University, both located in Montreal, Pierre got his first live experience with a local blues group named the ALBERT FAILEY BLUES BAND. About a year later, Pierre joined another band: OVEN. That was in the early 1970’s when he lived for six years in that French-Canadian city (1970-1976). OVEN gigged regularly, and eventually won the Montreal Battle of The Bands contest in the summer of 1976. Unfortunately, the promoter who promised the winner $1,000 Canadian dollars and a record contract skipped town, and was never seen or heard from again. The news of the win and of the shady promoter did make the Montreal newspapers though…
Not having the ill-fated Canadian blues career anymore, Pierre, 24 at the time, and disillusioned, came back to Chicago. Although playing the blues on the harp could never be more fitting as it was at this point, it couldn’t pay the bills. And it was at this point (1976) that Pierre described his life as going “the intellectual route”. Pierre decided to further his education in Clinical Psychology. It was during this period that Pierre met his Social Worker wife Vickie, and began working as a clinician at a Mental Health center in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago. For the next decade, Pierre was involved with his psychological work and research, finishing a doctorate at Northwestern University and publishing professional articles and a book, until a major insight took place in 1988. Pierre, an accomplished 36 years-old man, who had been studying Existentialism, Theology, History of Religions, etc. began to feel a void in his life. He began to re-evaluate his life and look into his own heart. Eventually he heard the answer loud and clear: He missed playing the blues. The awareness struck him like a beautiful horn, coming from an amp, distinct and unique, and yet a sound he had heard before, hidden all these years, but definitely not lost.
And this is where Pierre’s passion revived, his fire and “joie de vivre” rekindled, his ability to take what was lost inside of him all these years and turn it into the raw, powerful heat that it is today.
