Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Bar-B-Lew]

http://www.jukejointfestival.com/

I decided yesterday to cash in some frequent flyer miles from all of the work travel I have been doing, and going to meet up with my wife to go to this festival.  It is in her hometown, and she is already down there with her Mother for the last week.  Probably not many artists that you have heard of unless you are deep into modern Mississippi blues.  Supposed to draw people from all over the world to this festival.  Will be interesting to see what it is like.

For those who do not know what a juke joint is - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juke_joint.

[Bentley]

I know what a juke joint is, I do not believe I have ever been in one, but I have been in a couple of Road Houses and Dives...Enjoy the trip!

[Canadian John]

 B-B-L: Have fun!   

[Bar-B-Lew]

This is the only juke joint I have ever been inside of.  There was no music playing.  The owner was just opening up.  I was taking pics of a blues marker across the street and he hollered for me to come over for him to show me around.  It was the Cozy Corner Cafe in Indianola, MS past down to him by his parents.  BB King spent a lot of his early life in Indianola and the BB King Museum was erected there within the last 10 years.



I have been to the more upscale juke joint, Ground Zero, in Clarksdale, MS which is part owned by Morgan Freeman.  I plan to go to Red's Lounge while I am there which is supposed to still be an old school style juke joint.

[Goosehunter51]

Sounds like fun, enjoy the trip.

[Bar-B-Lew]

Got into town early evening and got to see some live blues. 

An outdoor stage


The guy that owns the Mississippi saxophone (aka harmonica) store performing with a 3 string homemade cigar box guitar and an electrified harmonica at the same time.


Red's Lounge probably the most famous juke joint in Clarksdale, MS

[Bentley]

So do they serve Shine?

[Bar-B-Lew]

So do they serve Shine?

I didn't look for or see any.  It is in the downtown section of town.  If it was out in the farm areas like back in the 40's-50's then I would have expected some.

[triplebq]

http://www.jukejointfestival.com/

I decided yesterday to cash in some frequent flyer miles from all of the work travel I have been doing, and going to meet up with my wife to go to this festival.  It is in her hometown, and she is already down there with her Mother for the last week.  Probably not many artists that you have heard of unless you are deep into modern Mississippi blues.  Supposed to draw people from all over the world to this festival.  Will be interesting to see what it is like.

For those who do not know what a juke joint is - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juke_joint.

Oh this would be so fun to attend.

[Bar-B-Lew]

Interesting day yesterday during the main festival.  The daylight outdoor portion was going great until about midway through the day.  Then, the power went out in the majority of the town.  Took about 3 hours to restore causing plenty of performers to have their shows cancelled.  One place was able to get a generator going and have about 2 hours of music.  It was also a big disappointment for the vendors too who could not accept credit cards that needed electricity to process.  Fortunately, the evening shows went on as planned.


The Hoodoo Men...2 piece band with a guitar player and drummer who both also played harp while playing their main instrument.  They performed on a small stage in front of what formerly was Wade Walton's barber shop.  Wade cut the hair of some famous blues musicians back in the day when they lived or came through Clarksdale.


Cadillac John performing on his 91st birthday inside a garage in the outdoor portion of a garden center.


Monkeys riding dog put on a short performance herding sheep.  I was able to watch this during the power outage.


I also caught the pig races during the power outage.


I spent the evening at Ground Zero which is owned by Morgan Freeman, a local lawyer/former mayor, and a family member of Stovall Farms where Muddy Waters grew up and was a tractor driver before he moved to Chicago.  My wife and mother-in-law volunteer working the door selling wristbands for entrance.




Three acts performed there last night.  The opener was a band fronted by a guitar player who played and wrote with Ted Nugent for 30+ years.  The band performed "Strangehold".  The headliner was Super Chikan who played the most famous song of the day, "Rock Me Baby", which I heard 3-4 time performed by other artists yesterday.



Boy, I remember 20+ years ago when you could have a $300 35mm camera with a $200+ lense and you couldn't take picture as good as you can with a cell phone nowadays.

Good time so far and I am glad I went.  Now to decide if I go to any of the shows today (Sunday).

[Bentley]

I was looking at that Ground Zero menu...at least not pretentious food...and fairly reasonable, even for a cheap screw like me!

[silverbullet]

Looks like a very enjoyable trip! Thanks for taking us along!

[Bar-B-Lew]

Some more pics from yesterday since there seems to be some interest.

Cat Head Stage - google Roger Stolle and Cat Head to read about what this guy has done for the city of Clarksdale and blues in MS


Little Joe Ayers


Pat Thomas - this guy played a private 3 song show for me at the Highway 61 Blues Museum a few years ago in Leland, MS after coming up from behind me playing his guitar while I was reading the blues marker about his father Son Thomas. A pretty surreal moment.  The Johnny Winter blues marker was across the street in Leland.


Wade Walton stage and blues marker


Deak Harp playing at the Paramount Theater Stage




Miss Del's Stage where the 91 year old Cadillac John played on his birthday


Stone Pony Pizza stage while the power was out and they ran things from a generator


Chicago's Eddie Taylor Jr playing a classic blues cover set at the Stone Pony during the power outage

[yorkdude]

One of the guys I work with is a huge Blues fan. His office is right across the hall from mine and I get to hear his music. If it is something I don't like I just turn up my old rock and roll and move on. More times than not though I ask him to turn it up a touch, am really starting to like more and more of it.
I will have to ask him who he listens to as favorites, I am not at all versed on the artists.
It is a fun and interesting type of music to listen to.

[Bentley]

Blind Melon Chitlin is not schedule to play is he?