Visit Mississippi for a taste of the Blues! As the sign states, it is the birthplace of America’s music. Mississippi, the Magnolia state, has also been a defining force in the world of pottery, most notably in long-standing, family-owned pottery businesses like Shearwater and McCarty’s.
Mississippi is also home to the International Ballet Competition, and many colleges and universities house exceptional dance and performance programs.
We drove 3 hours from New Orleans to Jackson, state capital of Mississippi, for lunch. Arrived in Jackson on a Saturday afternoon and it was desolate on the streets. Perhaps it was a bit too hot out.
The state capital building is beautiful and offers tours, but we had no time. We had a quick lunch, then continued to Bentonia which is about a half an hour north in the direction of Clarksdale. NOLA to Clarksdale is about 6 hours.
In Bentonia, we hoped to meet Jimmy Duck Holmes at his Blues cafe, but the cafe was closed. Rural Mississippi and Louisiana are very poor. It is unfortunate that there are so few economic prospects here. Hopefully an entrepreneur, or two, will see that the region could be economically viable with the right idea and investment. There is a great documentary on the old Blues players called “I am the Blues”. http://iamthebluesmovie.com
The above video contains music that was playing on our CD in the car by Lonnie Mack and Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Clarksdale Mississippi is an important spot on the Delta Blues trail and home to the Juke Joint festival each spring. The Delta Blues museum is located here, as are The Crossroads at highway 61 and 49 where Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil in order to play the Blues. During the early twentieth century, Clarksdale was nicknamed the “Golden Buckle in the Cotton Belt.” It was a prosperous town, but much of that prosperity is gone.
However, the resilient residents are keeping the music alive and making it an important destination on any Southern US trip. Tourism is its future.
The actor, Morgan Freeman is co-owner, along with Mayor Bill Luckett, of the Ground Zero Blues club. Mr. Freeman is also a musician and plays there from time to time. The Mayor was sitting at a table next to us when we were there. I’m assuming he is a regular patron.
Red’s Blues Club, owned by Red Paden, is one of the authentic Mississippi Delta juke joints. It is on the other side of the tracks; where you find the real deal.
A video clip of Lucious, sorry for the poor autofocus – but the music is clear! For more video clips of the musicians we saw, please go to the Southern Blues Road Trip blog.
Ike Turner is from Clarksdale and began his career here. John Lee Hooker, Sam Cooke and Tennessee Williams all lived here. Take a Walking Tour of Clarksdale’s historic district, which is the neighborhood where Tom ‘Tennessee’ Williams spent his childhood. During the annual Tennessee Williams Festival, porch plays are presented in this area with the audience sitting in lawn chairs.
Where to Stay?
We stayed at the Clark House, an excellent B&B in a historic home, a few blocks away from the clubs (which we both highly recommend), but there is also this wild place to stay just outside of town called Shackup Inn – you can rent a shack! And Ground Zero has hotel rooms above the bar.
Apparently Robert Plant stayed at this B&B as well. They have beautiful rooms in the house and a few smaller guest houses with a porch out back.
Where to Eat?
There are not too many choices. The Blues Alley Cafe is one option (however we didn’t try it) and you can get food at Ground Zero Blues Club. We ate at Ground Zero and it was pretty good – burger and fries.
For more photos go to Wonderland Photography.
