JJ Grey & Mofro are an American band from Jacksonville, Florida, active since 1998. The group is known for a sound that draws on blues rock, funk rock, jam band, soul, southern rock and swamp pop, and their early billing is Mofro, used until 2007.

Line-up and origin

The band forms around JJ Grey, who sings and plays electric piano, acoustic guitar, electric guitar and harmonica. The group’s listed members also include Todd Smallie on bass guitar, Daryl Hance, and Marcus Parsley. In earlier configurations the line-up includes Andrew Trube on electric guitar and slide guitar, Anthony Farrell on Hammond organ, Anthony Cole on drums, and the Hercules Horns: Dennis Marion on trumpet and Art Edmaiston on tenor saxophone.

Recording history

JJ Grey & Mofro make their recording debut in 2001 with Blackwater, released under the name Mofro. A follow-up, Lochloosa, appears in 2004, also as Mofro; both albums are later reissued by Alligator. In 2007 the band releases Country Ghetto under the JJ Grey & Mofro name, followed by Orange Blossoms in 2008. Georgia Warhorse arrives in 2010 and brings the band wider attention through the AAA radio single “The Sweetest Thing”.

The live CD/DVD Brighter Days appears in 2011 and documents the group’s stage performance. Their sixth studio album, This River, follows in 2013 and is named after the St. Johns River, a reference point in Grey’s childhood near Jacksonville.

Touring and collaborations

The band plays a large number of festivals, including Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Wakarusa, Austin City Limits Festival, Byron Bay Blues Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival and Fuji Rock. Grey shares stages with artists including Lenny Kravitz, B.B. King, The Allman Brothers Band, The Black Crowes, Los Lobos, Jeff Beck, Ben Harper, Booker T. Jones and Mavis Staples.

Grey also tours solo in the United States, and the band performs in the UK and Europe on several tours. His songs appear in film and television, including House, Flashpoint, Crash, Friday Night Lights, The Glades, The Deadliest Catch and The Hoot.

Other work

In 2009 Grey writes his first film score for The Good Soldier, the Emmy Award-winning documentary. In 2010 he plays piano, sings and contributes the song “The Wrong Side” to Buckwheat Zydeco’s Grammy-winning album Lay Your Burden Down. He also appears on Shemekia Copeland’s 2012 album 33 1/3.