Sister Lucille

Bio

Blues Rock

Hailing from Southwest Missouri and deeply inspired by the musical legacy of Memphis, Sister Lucille has turned the worlds of Blues, Roots and Soul on their collective head and created their own genre – Memphunk! The band’s musical genetics run wide and deep. From lead singer Kimberly Dill’s Opry debut at the Ryman Auditorium as a teenager, opening for the legendary Kitty Wells, to the band’s Beale Street debut in 2014, the Springfield, MO foursome breathes funk in to the Blues, stirs it with the soul of Gospel and tints it with an air of Country to forge a sound that’s distinctly American but universal in its appeal. Dill and Jamie Holdren (guitar/vocals) are both second-generation musicians, and their collective musical DNA is the fuel for Sister Lucille’s fire. Their 2019 debut album, Alive, clocked an astounding 22 straight months on the Top 50 Blues-Rock Album Chart, with all 11 songs hitting the Top 50 Blues-Rock Song Chart for multi-month runs, and finished the year at #10 on the 2020 Top 200 Year-End Blues-Rock Chart. Three songs from Alive became mainstays on SIrius/XM’s Bluesville, and the album won the 2020 Blues Blast Award for Best Debut CD, and also received three Independent Blues Award Nominations for Best New Artist CD, Best Soul-Blues Artist and Best Contemporary Blues Song. “Gone,” the follow-up single released by the band in late 2020, was featured in the January/February 2021 issue of Relix magazine and has garnered airplay on every top Blues radio program in the US, and is proof Sister Lucille’s patented Memphunk sound is here to stay.

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Music

1

Gone 4:20

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2

Grandpa's Song 3:57

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3

Alive 5:11

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See My Baby 4:25

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Won't Give It 3:55

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W.O.M.A.N. 5:21

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Devil's Eyes 4:57

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Wanna Love You 4:16

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99 Pounds 4:20

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Respect Your Woman 4:35

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Fussin' & Fightin' 3:51

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12

Think About You 4:43

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Press photos

Live Video

Press / Reviews

Either get behind Kimberly Dill or get out of her way. Alive is her coming out party, showcasing Dill as a dynamic and powerful singer with a lot to say about treating women right. From the cover it seems this sweet young thing is dressed for the occasion. Never mind the splatter from the grease fires of fat funk groove that flare up occasionally in this bluesy soul kitchen.

Responsible for some of the lyric writing duties for Missouri’s Sister Lucille, the brassy Dill pushes the narrative of female empowerment to the fore on the stylish and sophisticated Alive, with the surging blues of “Respect Your Woman”—slathered in honking harmonica—and “W.O.M.A.N.” refusing to tolerate any sleazy impertinence. Don’t get the idea that Sister Lucille is prudish. The heat of sexual desire emanating from the writhing “Wanna Love You” is almost overwhelming, while the romantic “Think About You” couches regret and yearning in Muscle Shoals-inspired R&B tenderness and twinkling, golden guitar licks straight out of the Steve Cropper playbook.

Not just a low-riding vehicle for Dill’s undeniably expressive vocals, Sister Lucille exhibits strong, sinewy musical chops and versatility on Alive. With the seductive bossa nova noir of “Devil’s Eyes” a dark surprise, the gravitational pull of the slinky title track’s deep, shapely funk an undeniable draw, and a fiercely proud “99 Pounds” throwing its considerable weight around with a thick, tight and sunny swagger and plenty of horsepower, Alive is a master class in making all the machinery work seamlessly. Throw in some of the most radiant, well-rounded and shiny horn arrangements around, while following Jamie Holdren’s well-conceived lead guitar figures and maneuvers like a herd of sheep, and it’s easy to come away believing that Sister Lucille is indeed Alive and well, capable of recording warm, engaging material that pours out its blood, sweat and tears with passion and purpose.

Peter Lindblad, Elmore Magazine

The Sister Lucille Band actually has no one named Lucille, as lead vocalist Kimberly Dill, guitarist/vocalist Jamie Holdren, drummer Kevin Lyons and bassist Reed Herron bring together a bunch of non-Lucille’d guests for a session in Memphis that smokes like Central Avenue Ribs. With some wet rubbed horns, Kimberly growls through a STAXY “Won’t Give It” and boogies through “99 Pounds” while stomping through Etta James’ “W-O-M-A-N.” Holdren plays his regular axe like he’s trying out for Savoy Brown, while he slides his guitar like Ricky Henderson and takes you to the Delta on “See My baby” and gets smoky like the kitchen at The Germantown Commissary on “Think About You.” Eric Hughes’ harp wails on a bluesy “Respect Your Woman” and the team is on a funk fest on “Fussin’ & Fightin.” As tasty as the trout at Flying Fish.

By George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Alive, from Sister Lucille and it’s a solid rocker with strong R&B, funk and blues roots. Opening with “Won’t Give It”, a super funky rocker with horns and a heavy bass line, Sister Lucille, fronted by Kimberly Dill shows great swagger. With Jamie Holdren on lead guitar, Kevin Lyons on drums and Eric Guinn on bass and with Peter Climie on sax, Jared Dover on trumpet and Andrew Earle on trombone, a tight opener. On “See My Baby”, Holdren steps up front showing his slide guitar chops and sharing lead vocal position with Dill. With a southern stomp kind of attitude and solid bottom, this track rocks. Latin flavored “Devil’s Eyes” has a real nice rhythm and tasty lead by Holdren and Dill’s vocals really work nicely with the lone trumpet of Dover. Eric Hughes steps in on harmonica on blues track, “Respect Your Woman” trading the spotlight with Dill on lead vocal. The addition of Reba Russell on backing vocal, Holdren’s stiff fingered guitar attitude and the strong blues influence makes this one of the top tracks on the release. Wrapping the release is “Lost”, featuring Holdren on lead guitar with Dill pairing nicely on harmony. His trailing guitar lead, working with the lead vocal really sets the tone for this track with clean piano work by Chris Stephenson and tight drum work by Lyons. Nice closer.

Bman’s Blues Report

Fusing funk and soul from various quadrants, the end result gives me a modern take on a Stax attack–and that’s a good thing. Modern electric blues at it’s core, these young vets with varied and impressive resumes deliver the goods in a wonderful way. Solid writing smartly sung is what this is all about. Hot stuff.

~ Midwest Record

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