Backwater

Backwater formed in Mississippi in the early 1970s, led by vocalist and guitarist Jimmy Lee Harper. Their sound had a gritty quality that drew from blues and rock, with a Southern Gothic feel that came through in songs like their self-titled track "Backwater." That song became something of a calling card for them, a dark, atmospheric piece about rural life.

Harper's songwriting tended to be raw and introspective, dealing with themes like social injustice and personal struggle. But the band didn't really soften their stance, and that honesty connected with a growing audience who recognized their own experiences in the music.

They released their self-titled debut album in 1973, which established their basic sound, and followed it with records like "Secondhand Smoke" in 1975. Other songs in their catalog include "Ballad of Dying," "Cry Out," and "Nuclear War," which continued in that vein of gritty, blues-inflected rock with Harper's distinctive vocal delivery.