Veteran Mississippi Delta bluesman R.L. Burnside [ tickets ], who received much critical acclaim for his October 2000 release “Wish I Was in Heaven Sitting Down” (Fat Possum/Epitaph), will open a short West Coast tour on Jan. 19 in Vancouver.

Burnside’s three-piece live band includes his grandson Cedric Burnside on drums and Kenny Brown on lead guitar. Burnside plays rhythm guitar. While ”Wish I Was in Heaven” was praised for Burnside’s melding of traditional blues with contemporary DJ scratches and other electronic tools, his live show forgoes such embellishments, according to his publicist.

The 74-year-old Burnside chiefly made his living by farming and fishing until his musical career picked up steam in the mid-'80s. He began touring regularly in the '90s, after he linked with blues label Fat Possum.

Health problems--including a late 1999 heart operation--curtailed Burnside’s touring efforts behind “Wish I Was in Heaven” in 2000. He did, however, embark on a brief club tour that ran from mid-November through early December.