Garry Burnside Wins Josie Award, Ripley Main Street Cheers
Garry Burnside, the Hill Country blues guitarist who helps bring the Burnside Music Festival to downtown Ripley each year, has won a Josie Music Award. His album It’s My Time Now took home 2026 Album of the Year – Instrumental, and the Ripley Main Street Association congratulated him publicly this week, calling him a friend of the community and a key part of the festival.
Burnside shared the news himself on social media, writing that he was out on the road and could not attend the ceremony but had just learned the record had won. “I am honored,” he wrote, thanking the fans and everyone who helped get the album out.
Garry Burnside’s Award-Winning Album
It’s My Time Now is Burnside’s solo debut, released in 2025 on the Strolling Bones Records label. The label describes it as a mix of blues, rock and funk built on raw guitar work, soulful vocals and deep Southern grooves. The album was recorded at the famed Royal Studios in Memphis with Grammy-winning producer and engineer Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell.
In his post, Burnside credited the players who backed him on the record:
- Avery Dilworth on drums
- Andrea Staten on rhythm guitar
- Pinkie Pulliam and John C. Stubblefield on bass
The Josie Music Awards honor independent artists across many genres. The 2026 nominee list for Album of the Year – Instrumental included 11 albums, with Burnside’s record among them.
A Musical Family Legacy
Garry Burnside is the youngest son of Hill Country blues legend R.L. Burnside. According to his label, he learned under Junior Kimbrough and has played alongside the North Mississippi Allstars and his nephew, Cedric Burnside, among others. His win adds another honor to one of the best-known family names in North Mississippi blues.
Ripley Main Street and the Burnside Music Festival
For Ripley, the award has a local connection. In its post, Ripley Main Street said Burnside is “a huge part” of making the annual Burnside Music Festival possible, helping the organization line up musicians for the event in historic downtown Ripley and keep the Burnside family’s musical legacy alive close to home.
The 2026 festival, held in June, celebrated what would have been R.L. Burnside’s 100th birthday and drew blues fans downtown for a free day of music. Ripley Main Street thanked Garry Burnside “for all you do for our community and the Burnside Festival” and called the award well deserved.
Fans who want to hear the album can find It’s My Time Now on vinyl, CD and major streaming services through Strolling Bones Records.
Related: Burnside Music Festival returns to Ripley for R.L. Burnside’s 100th birthday and Burnside Music Festival lineup set for Saturday in Ripley.
Source: Ripley Main Street; Strolling Bones Records
