Biography
North Florida's JJ Grey & Mofro deliver roots music that blends raw rural blues with swampy Southern rock and additional elements, all delivered through a loose, organic feel that still carries sharp intensity. Grey's compositions draw extensively from his personal background and surrounding environment. He journeyed throughout the United States and Europe in search of suitable players, a lineup that shifts with each new recording. The 2001 release Blackwater and the 2004 album Lochloosa both appeared under the Mofro name alone on the Fog City imprint. Following a move to Chicago's Alligator Records, the group refined its Southern Gothic style across Country Ghetto in 2007 and Orange Blossom in 2008, now credited to JJ Grey & Mofro. The 2010 effort Georgia Warhorse immersed itself in funky, greasy, slippery Southern R&B alongside blues and rock, while 2013's This River marked the last project for Alligator before Ol' Glory surfaced on Provogue in 2015. Olustee arrived in February 2024.
Although JJ Grey & Mofro operate out of Jacksonville, Florida, close to the childhood homes of founding members JJ Grey and Daryl Hance, the group actually came together in London. The Floridians had traveled there to pursue a recording deal that ultimately fell through. During their stay, Grey and Hance connected with Australian keyboardist Nathan Shepherd and French bassist Fabrice Quentin, both of whom briefly joined under the Mofro banner. The band's fortunes took a severe downturn after a performance at Jacksonville's Marquee Theater, when members were involved in a car crash that left Grey's wife with serious injuries and required Shepherd to undergo rehabilitation before returning to Australia.
Blackwater, the debut album, reached listeners in 2001 and earned regional critical praise, whereas the follow-up Lochloosa in 2004 introduced the first in a long series of personnel shifts, featuring Grey, Hance, Quentin, keyboardist Mike Shapiro, and drummer Craig Barnette. Although Grey adopted the JJ Grey & Mofro billing for every subsequent release from Country Ghetto in 2007 through Ol' Glory in 2015, he stayed the sole unchanging presence, recruiting fresh configurations to match each project's needs.
Following a nine-year recording break, JJ Grey & Mofro resurfaced with Olustee in 2024. The set incorporated Southern-fried funk and soul into the existing blend of roots styles, expanding the core quintet of two guitars, keys, bass, and drums with added horns, a backing chorus, reeds, strings, and winds. Its eleven tracks evoke Florida's distinctive landscape along with the intricate natural setting and history that people continue to navigate uneasily.
Although JJ Grey & Mofro operate out of Jacksonville, Florida, close to the childhood homes of founding members JJ Grey and Daryl Hance, the group actually came together in London. The Floridians had traveled there to pursue a recording deal that ultimately fell through. During their stay, Grey and Hance connected with Australian keyboardist Nathan Shepherd and French bassist Fabrice Quentin, both of whom briefly joined under the Mofro banner. The band's fortunes took a severe downturn after a performance at Jacksonville's Marquee Theater, when members were involved in a car crash that left Grey's wife with serious injuries and required Shepherd to undergo rehabilitation before returning to Australia.
Blackwater, the debut album, reached listeners in 2001 and earned regional critical praise, whereas the follow-up Lochloosa in 2004 introduced the first in a long series of personnel shifts, featuring Grey, Hance, Quentin, keyboardist Mike Shapiro, and drummer Craig Barnette. Although Grey adopted the JJ Grey & Mofro billing for every subsequent release from Country Ghetto in 2007 through Ol' Glory in 2015, he stayed the sole unchanging presence, recruiting fresh configurations to match each project's needs.
Following a nine-year recording break, JJ Grey & Mofro resurfaced with Olustee in 2024. The set incorporated Southern-fried funk and soul into the existing blend of roots styles, expanding the core quintet of two guitars, keys, bass, and drums with added horns, a backing chorus, reeds, strings, and winds. Its eleven tracks evoke Florida's distinctive landscape along with the intricate natural setting and history that people continue to navigate uneasily.
Albums
