Olga Wilhelmine Munding
Encyclopedia
Olga Wilhelmine Munding is an American
New Orleans-based blues musician
and actress.
. Olga and Jessie recorded together extensively and participated in together in Martin Scorsese’s The Blues
.
Olga has released three albums of her own, "Now Is The Time", "Kiss Your Blues Away", and "Blues Babe." In 2011, she released her fourth album "Whatever You Want", which was written with Cody Dickinson of the Grammy-nominated North Mississippi Allstars
and mixed and produced by Emmy winning producer Winn McElroy.
She has played with Chris Isak, Los Lobos
, North Mississippi Allstars and co-engineered the Grammy nominated song, Monkey to Man by Elvis Costello
. Olga is the ex-wife of Squirrel Nut Zippers
singer James "Jimbo" Mathus.
She is also the founder and president of the Jessie Mae Hemphill
Foundation, which honors the legendary and influential musician who served as her mentor and friend. The foundation supports, preserves and archives the indigenous music of northern Mississippi and provides assistance for musicians in need from the region who could not survive on meager publishing royalties. This gained prominence in 2008, when Mulding fought publicly with popular musician Cat Power
who has used but not credited a Hemphill song on one of her albums. On August 16, 2011 Olga was elected to the Blues Foundation's Board of Directors.
in 2010.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
New Orleans-based blues musician
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
and actress.
Music
Olga is a blues vocalist and guitar player known for her sultry voice and Southern sound. Munding first took interest in the blues, when she was in high school. She developed her signature style through an extended tutelage under the pioneering female blues musician Jessie Mae HemphillJessie Mae Hemphill
Jessie Mae Hemphill was an American award-winning electric guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist specializing in the primal, northern Mississippi country blues traditions of her family and regional heritage....
. Olga and Jessie recorded together extensively and participated in together in Martin Scorsese’s The Blues
The Blues (film)
The Blues is a 2003 documentary film series produced by Martin Scorsese, dedicated to the history of blues music. In each of the seven episodes, a different director explores a stage in the development of the blues...
.
Olga has released three albums of her own, "Now Is The Time", "Kiss Your Blues Away", and "Blues Babe." In 2011, she released her fourth album "Whatever You Want", which was written with Cody Dickinson of the Grammy-nominated North Mississippi Allstars
North Mississippi Allstars
North Mississippi Allstars is a Southern rock/blues jam band from Hernando, Mississippi, founded in 1996. The band is composed of brothers Luther Dickinson and Cody Dickinson , and Chris Chew...
and mixed and produced by Emmy winning producer Winn McElroy.
She has played with Chris Isak, Los Lobos
Los Lobos
Los Lobos are a multiple Grammy Award–winning American Chicano rock band from East Los Angeles, California. Their music is influenced by rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country, folk, R&B, blues, brown-eyed soul, and traditional Spanish and Mexican music such as cumbia, boleros and norteños.-History:The...
, North Mississippi Allstars and co-engineered the Grammy nominated song, Monkey to Man by Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
. Olga is the ex-wife of Squirrel Nut Zippers
Squirrel Nut Zippers
The Squirrel Nut Zippers are a band formed in 1993 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina by James "Jimbo" Mathus , Katharine Whalen , Chris Phillips on drums, Don Raleigh on bass and sideman Ken Mosher....
singer James "Jimbo" Mathus.
She is also the founder and president of the Jessie Mae Hemphill
Jessie Mae Hemphill
Jessie Mae Hemphill was an American award-winning electric guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist specializing in the primal, northern Mississippi country blues traditions of her family and regional heritage....
Foundation, which honors the legendary and influential musician who served as her mentor and friend. The foundation supports, preserves and archives the indigenous music of northern Mississippi and provides assistance for musicians in need from the region who could not survive on meager publishing royalties. This gained prominence in 2008, when Mulding fought publicly with popular musician Cat Power
Cat Power
Charlyn Marie Marshall , also known as Chan Marshall or by her stage name Cat Power, is an American singer/songwriter and occasional actress and model. Cat Power was originally the name of Marshall's first band, but has come to refer to her musical projects with various backing bands...
who has used but not credited a Hemphill song on one of her albums. On August 16, 2011 Olga was elected to the Blues Foundation's Board of Directors.
Acting
Olga has appeared in numerous television shows and movies. She acted in the short film “The Statue” which won the New Orleans Film FestivalNew Orleans Film Festival
The New Orleans Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the nonprofit organization New Orleans Film Society, a film society founded in 1989. The festival has been held since the society's inception. The festival takes place in mid-October. The festival, nicknamed "Cannes on the...
in 2010.
Discography
- Blues Babe (2003)
- Kiss Your Blues Away (2004)
- Now is the Time (2006)
- Whatever You Want (2011)
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Statue | Girl Musician | Short film |
| Knucklehead | Paramedic/Parent/Club Patron/Wrestling Match Patron | uncredited | |
| 2011 | The Mechanic | Office Employee | |
| Seconds Apart | Female Student | ||
| A Little Bit of Heaven | Sax Fifth Avenue Shopper/Gala Patron/Restaurant Patron | ||
| That's What I Am | Neighbor | ||
| From the Rough | Golf Spectator | post-production | |
| The Hungry Rabbit Jumps | Truck Show Attendee | post-production |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Treme Treme (TV series) Treme is an American television drama series created by David Simon and Eric Overmyer that premiered on April 11, 2010 on HBO. It takes its name from Tremé, a neighborhood of New Orleans... |
Mardi Gras Muse | 1 episode |
External links
- Magic Moment from Olga Wilhelmine WWOZ.org
- Olga IMDB.com