Harmonica ace Pierre Lacocque doesn’t fit the typical profile of a Chicago blues man. Born in Israel, raised in France, Germany and Belgium. As a teenager he moved with his family to Chicago and was caught with the blues bug. Fast forward to the present, and Lacocque’s long running group, Mississippi Heat, has just released its eighth album called Hattiesburg Blues. The group will play a CD release event this Friday night at Buddy Guy’s Legends club in Chicago’s South Loop. Eight Forty-Eight’s Dan Bindert recently spoke with Lacocque, who says his first encounter with the sound of Chicago blues was a life changing experience.

Pierre Lacocque and his group Mississippi Heat perform tonight at Shaw’s Crab House in Chicago. Their CD release show is tomorrow night at Buddy Guy’s Legends in Chicago’s South Loop neighborhood.