theater, early American music and leadership along with Whalen's fashion and vocal style. The group toured throughout the 1990s, appearing at A Prairie Home Companion, the second inauguration of Bill Clinton, and the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. They also performed on television programs The Tonight Show, Late Night with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien and Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve in 1998. Their albums have been awarded gold and platinum records by the Recording Industry Association of America, and Billboard chart history includes No. 18 for the album Perennial Favorites, and No. 27 for the album Hot. Solo career and the Tri-State Coalition In the mid-1990s, Mathus' frequent trips back to Mississippi led to his meeting Jim and Luther Dickinson, which resulted in Mathus writing and recording (Jas. Mathus & His Knockdown Society) Play Songs for Rosetta. This was a benefit project to aid Mathus' childhood nanny, Rosetta Patton, daughter of Charley Patton. This rekindled Mathus' interest in Mississippi music and set him on a new path. During this time, Mathus also began recording and producing on his own. The Squirrel Nut Zippers disbanded in 2000. Mathus and Whalen divorced in 2003, at which time Mathus returned to his home state of Mississippi. Simultaneously, Mathus was gaining recognition for his blues guitar knowledge through his work with Buddy Guy. Mathus toured with Guy off and on from 2001 to 2003. He also recorded with Guy on his album Sweet Tea, and the Grammy Award-winning album Blues Singer. Mathus started his first studio in his mother's hometown of Clarksdale, Mississippi, in 2003. Using antique ribbon microphones and tube pre-amp, Mathus set up Delta Recording Service in the abandoned Alcazar Hotel in downtown Clarksdale and recorded artists there, including Elvis Costello. In 2007, Mathus relocated the studio to Como, Mississippi. Through the mid- to late 2000s, Mathus performed shows in the deep South, mostly in Mississippi. He became a regular performer at Morgan Freeman's Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale, Mississippi, and acted as bandleader for the National Public Radio broadcast of "Toast of the Nation" on New Year's Eve in 2004. In 2010, Mathus wrote and produced a historical musical revue entitled Mosquitoville, and led the 11-person cast in performances for communities across the state of Mississippi. He also helped form the South Memphis String Band with longtime collaborators Luther Dickinson and Alvin Youngblood Hart and once