Page 68 - Blues Festival Guide Magazine 2025 Digital Edition

What’s

Cookin’

with Alabama Mike

Alabama Mike puts the finishing touches on his tamale pie.
Photo courtesy of “Alabama Mike” Benjamin

I was born and raised in rural Talladega County, AL, the a few songs on John’s award-winning release, including the
third of seven siblings. My mom would make all our meals title track “This May Be The Last Time.” My tamale pie and I
from scratch. I wasn’t interested in cooking at that time. It saved the day!
wasn’t until I left home and joined the Navy at 19 years
old, stationed in Oakland, CA, that I began to miss Mama’s Tamale Pie
cooking. I started to try cooking for myself, sometimes calling
my mom and holding her on the phone while she walked INGREDIENTS
me through the steps. My cooking skills have developed over Crust:
the years, and now I operate a catering business in Oakland 11⁄4 cups Albers yellow cornmeal
called Soul In Your Bowl, serving – you guessed it – nothing 1⁄2 tsp salt
but the very best soul food. 11⁄2 cups Carnation evaporated milk
I’m going to share my recipe for tamale pie, and here’s 1 cup water
a little story about it… A few years ago, I was invited by (may substitute Jiffy Cornbread Muffin)
Kid Andersen to come by Greaseland Studios because he
and Elvin Bishop, Willy Jordan and Bob Welsh were doing Filling:
an album for John Nemeth – who, by the way, is a great 1 lb. ground beef (or ground turkey)
friend. This was around the time that John was diagnosed 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
with cancer and was scheduled to have major surgery on 1 cup onion, chopped
his jaw. I didn’t know at the time that John was at the studio 1⁄4 cup green bell pepper, chopped
as well. 1 cup cream-style corn
And so it was, I whipped up a deep dish of tamale pie. 1⁄2 cup sliced black olives, drained
Kid Andersen later told me that no one had known I was 1 cup tamale sauce
coming. Elvin Bishop was both desperately pondering where 1 tbsp chili powder
he could find another tenor voice to pair with Willy for a song 1 tsp ground cloves
they were tracking, and was also getting powerful hungry! 1 tsp salt
Minutes later, with a knock on the door, I popped in with 1⁄4 tsp black pepper
my tamale pie and the rest is history. I ended up singing on 1⁄3 cup shredded cheddar cheese

66 Blues Festival Guide 2025