Eric Bibb in interview: “Understanding our past is how we build the future”

For Eric Bibb, music is not just an art form, it is a mission: passing on a heritage, telling the stories others could not tell, keeping alive the narratives that have shaped African American history. In short, becoming both the echo and the voice of an entire people. With One Mississippi, due out on January 30, 2026, he continues this role as a messenger, supported by Glen Scott. In this exclusive interview, Eric Bibb discusses a foundational work conceived as much as a commitment as it is an album.

🎙️ Eric Bibb in conversation with Cédric Vernet

Hello Eric. One Mississippi feels deeply rooted in the memory of the American South, yet it also speaks to the issues of today. How did this project come to life?

It actually started with the title song itself. After discovering and performing this wonderful song by my former high school classmate Janis Ian and her co-writer Fred Koller, I realised that thematically, it touched on many of the subjects that inspired other songs I was writing at the time. It seemed like the perfect title song.

Do you feel a responsibility today to pass on your cultural and musical heritage?

Absolutely! It’s a core part of my raison d’etre as a musician. My role as a storyteller, an African American Griot, is a calling. A calling which I have been prepared for in a most wonderful way: Both my parents were musicians. My mother sang and played piano and was highly educated when it came to all genres of music. Her brother was John Lewis, founding member of the world-famous Modern Jazz Quartet. My father was a trained singer, well known from musical theatre and the thriving folk music scene of the 60’s. With this kind of heritage and wonderful role models, my natural passion for music was well nurtured from the start. So, of course, I feel it’s my destiny to pass on the cultural gifts that have come to me.

The Mississippi River almost feels like a character throughout the album, a kind of red thread. What does it represent to you personally?

Having stood near the banks of the Mississippi on numerous occasions, the feeling I always remember was one of sorrow and at the same time, empowerment. That river sings countless songs. I once read a wonderful book that talked about how water captures sound, acting like a recording device. With that in mind, it would seem to me that the Mississippi River must surely be a huge repository of great, timeless music.

The record opens with the only song you did not write yourself. What moved you so much in that piece that you decided to make it the entry point of the whole project?

I found the song’s imagery so evocative, like watching a film, opening the door to a world where the other songs lived. So, it felt like the perfect opening track. The title of the song itself has a certain magnetism about it. It grabs your attention. Just the word Mississippi, on its own, conjures up many dramatic pictures. This word, which means “gathering of all the waters” in the Native American language of Ojibwe, resonates deeply throughout popular culture.

“The sound of each new album evolves naturally”

On this album, it feels like you have reinvented your sound without ever turning your back on your roots.

Not so much reinventing as evolving my sound, diving deeper into those roots. My collaboration with Glen Scott is an ongoing, evolving journey, as is the sound of any given album we’re working on. Overall, the sound of One Mississippi is groovy and funky. One of the things I love about Glen’s production, is how it’s so rootsy and at the same time so contemporary.

Several songs speak of flight, freedom, and the memory of injustice. Do you still see telling those stories as an artistic responsibility?

Good question! Indeed I do. It’s certainly a responsibility to pass on stories that empower us and inspire us to make the world a better place. Doing this, we give thanks for the wonderful opportunity to dedicate our art to the creation of a new world, free of prejudice and violence.

In Crossroads Marilyn Monroe, you revisit the tragedy of Emmett Till from a rare and unexpected angle, the point of view of the woman who falsely accused him. How do you approach such an emotionally charged subject?

The song was inspired by a book, ‘The Blood Of Emmett Till’, written by Timothy B. Tyson. I felt this little known part of the story needed a wider telling. As for the writing process I felt, from the start, that this was a song just waiting to be written. Intuitively, to relax and let the story come to me and that’s what happened.

“For me, the sacred and the profane are companions”

The themes of reconciliation, forgiveness, and redemption often come up in your writing, it feels like you are walking a line between the spiritual and the artistic, does it not?

I don’t differentiate between the two. For me, the sacred and the profane are entwined. Artistically, it’s completely natural for my core spiritual beliefs to come through my songs. The traditional dichotomy between blues and spirituals is often exaggerated. For me, the profane and the sacred are companions.

You have been working with Glen Scott for a long time. How did the production process unfold this time around? The sound is remarkably pure and uncluttered.

The best word I can think of is ‘organically’. Glen and I have an almost telepathic communication as to the best way to frame a song. It often starts with a simple guitar/vocal demo and Glen, being the brilliant multi-instrumentalist he is, will quickly add a foundation of drums and bass. The rest of the arrangement will often unfold without too much overthinking. In addition to being a great musician, Glen is an ace engineer, who knows his own studio like the back of his hand. Making a record with him is so enjoyable, it feels more like play than hard work.

In our Blues Actu review, we wrote: “You can almost hear a man sitting alone on the porch of a Delta house, but behind him echoes the voice of an entire people.” Does that description capture the spirit of the record?

Yes, it certainly does. Sometimes it feels like I’m being sent songs from my ancestors, saying things they could not in their place and time.

Some tracks have a nearly danceable groove, like No Clothes On or This One Don’t. Was that a conscious choice to bring a bit of lightness amid heavier themes?

Indeed, those tracks are definitely danceable. Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about a quote from the writer Alice Walker – “Hard times require furious dancing”. I find that including lighter, danceable songs makes it easier to digest the heavier themes.

You have a unique way of blending blues, folk, and gospel. How do you see your musical identity evolving over time?

At a certain point, the whole idea of dividing up music into categories seems counter to the essence of music itself. I’ve been influenced by a wide variety of music and to one extent or another it’s have all become part of my sound. In one way you could say that composing is a kind of remembering harmonies, melodies, rhythms and words you’ve heard before. It’s a kind of unique, personal remembering.

“The groove factor in my own songwriting has become more important than ever. These old bones want to dance!”

After so many years of creating and performing, what still manages to surprise you in your own creative process?

How powerful the right combination of melody, harmony and groove can be. The groove factor in my own songwriting has become more important than ever. Lately, these old bones want to dance!

Is there one song on this album that touches you more personally than the others?

They’re all a part of me and they all move me in different ways. ‘If You’re Free’ resonates especially deeply with me due to the current state of affairs in the world. What I often experience is different songs on the album will become a favourite for a while until another one takes its place.

You often speak about a divided world, but also about the need for unity. How do you see the times we are living in right now?

We’re living in chaotic times where certain leaders seem intent upon polarising people to increase their own power. These times call for a unified stand against these destructive unsustainable trends. I’m sure music will play a huge part in helping us cope with and get through this challenging time of rapid change.

Do you think music still has the power to bring people together?

I don’t just think it does, I know it does. My own upbringing followed by thirty years of touring around the world have made me keenly aware of how music reminds us humans that we are a global family.

If you had to sum up the message of One Mississippi in a single sentence, what would it be?

Understanding our past is the best way to ensure the kind of future we want for our children.