{"id":4033,"date":"2012-10-03T18:00:54","date_gmt":"2012-10-03T23:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=4033"},"modified":"2012-10-03T18:00:54","modified_gmt":"2012-10-03T23:00:54","slug":"bridging-the-blues-%e2%80%a2-arkansas-%e2%80%a2-memphis-%e2%80%a2-mississippi-part-2-of-2-from-tlv-166","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/bridging-the-blues-%e2%80%a2-arkansas-%e2%80%a2-memphis-%e2%80%a2-mississippi-part-2-of-2-from-tlv-166\/","title":{"rendered":"BRIDGING THE BLUES \u2022 Arkansas \u2022 Memphis \u2022 Mississippi (Part 2 of 2, from TLV #166)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Bridging The Blues:<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Arkan<\/span>sas \u2022 Memphis \u2022 Mississippi<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

(Part 2 of 2) (Click HERE to read Part 1<\/a>)
\n<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Article by Scott Barretta\u00a0\u2022 Photographs by Rebecca Long<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Last week in this space we introduced \u201cBridging the Blues,\u201d<\/strong><\/span> a twelve-day series of events in the Mississippi Delta, Memphis, and Helena, Arkansas organized to highlight the region\u2019s musical riches. We\u2019ll quickly recap the highlights of this weekend, then turn the focus to the activities surrounding the venerable King Biscuit Blues Festival<\/strong><\/span> next Thursday through Saturday. For a full schedule visit bridgingtheblues.blogspot.com<\/a>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"This Friday fans of Bobby Rush<\/strong><\/span> have the unique opportunity to see his full show\u2014replete with costume changes and full-figured dancers\u2014at Indianola\u2019s Club Ebony, a staple on the chitlin\u2019 circuit since its founding in the late 40s. Recently acquired by the nearby B.B. King Museum & Delta Interpretive Center, the club is now booking music regularly, with Abbeville\u2019s Bill \u201cHowlin\u2019 Madd\u201d Perry<\/strong><\/span> appearing every Sunday. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On Saturday the Highway 61 Blues Festival<\/strong><\/span> in Leland offers two stages, with a lineup of many of the state\u2019s leading traditional artists, including L.C. Ulmer<\/strong><\/span>, Jimmy \u201cDuck\u201d Holmes<\/strong><\/span>, Eddie Cusic<\/strong><\/span>, Pat Thomas<\/strong><\/span>, John Horton<\/strong><\/span>, Mickey Rogers<\/strong><\/span>, and T-Model Ford<\/strong><\/span>, who recently returned to performing after a series of strokes. Also appearing are Kenny Brown<\/strong><\/span>, Cedric Burnside<\/strong><\/span>, Eden Brent<\/strong><\/span>, and Jimmy Phillips<\/strong><\/span>, as well as Louisiana\u2019s Dwayne Doopsie & The Zydeco Hellraisers<\/strong><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"On Sunday afternoon Ford, Brent, Horton, Cusic and other are slated to appear at a free outdoor jam in nearby Holly Ridge<\/strong> that always follows the Highway 61 fest. Bring a cooler and folding chairs to enjoy one of the most laid back events in the Delta. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"On Tuesday afternoon the historic Dockery Plantation<\/strong> between Cleveland and Ruleville\u2014the onetime home of Charley Patton and reputed to be the place where the blues was born\u2014is offering tours of its restored facilities and live music from Cadillac John Nolden and Bill Abel<\/strong><\/span>. Later in the evening there\u2019ll be a blues bash at Po\u2019 Monkey\u2019s<\/strong> juke joint, located in a cotton field near Merigold, with live music from Terry \u201cHarmonica\u201d Bean<\/strong><\/span> and his band. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The mode\"\"rn face of blues tourism reveals itself on Wednesday at 4pm, when Clarksdale folk artist and bluesman James \u201cSuper Chikan\u201d Johnson<\/strong><\/span> headlines the #BridgingTheBlues #Blues TweetUp<\/strong> at Tunica\u2019s new Gateway to the Blues Visitor Center. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The King Biscuit Blues Festival<\/strong><\/span> in Helena\u2014which takes place next Thursday through Saturday\u2014was founded over twenty-five years ago, and is a leading destination for blues fans around the world. There\u2019s no bad seat at the main stage, located across from the tall levee that protects the historic city from the Mississippi River.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"There\u2019s a modest fee to sit there, but a lot of the fun can be found along Cherry Street<\/strong>, where many street buskers set up between vendors of barbecue and funnel cakes. A considerably more intimate\u2014and free\u2014stage is located a bit upriver from the main venue; it features leading acoustic acts earlier in the day, and electric groups into the night. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"The headliner on Thursday is Bobby Rush<\/strong><\/span>, supported by Louisianans Cyril Neville<\/strong><\/span>, Wayne Toups<\/strong><\/span>, and Kenny Neal<\/strong><\/span>. Friday\u2019s bill is led by Taj Mahal<\/strong><\/span>, and includes Ruthie Foster<\/strong><\/span>, Tupelo\u2019s Paul Thorn<\/strong><\/span>, and harmonica great Billy Branch<\/strong><\/span>. Bonnie Raitt<\/strong><\/span> headlines on Saturday, when the dozens of other acts include Chicago greats James Cotton<\/strong><\/span> and Eddy \u201cThe Chief\u201d Clearwater<\/strong><\/span> and gospel bluesman Rev. John Wilkins<\/strong><\/span>. <\/span><\/p>\n

From noon till 2pm on Saturday the festival hosts the second annual \u201cCall and Response: A Blues Forum,\u201d<\/strong><\/span> which will include two panels featuring blues performers. And if you\u2019re in Helena during the day on Thursday and Friday around lunch time drop into the Delta Cultural Center<\/strong>, whose two facilities feature exhibits on local Civil War events and Arkansas music legends including Johnny Cash, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and Levon Helm. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"If you \"\"visit the Center on Thursday or Friday at noon you can see a live broadcast of the KFFA radio show King Biscuit Time.<\/strong><\/span><\/em> The host, \u201cSunshine\u201d Sonny Payne<\/strong><\/span>, is now 86 and began working on KFFA in 1941, when Mississippi harmonica great Sonny Boy Williamson II began hosting King Biscuit Time<\/em> as a live performer.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Clarksdale is best known for its Juke Joint Festival in April and the Sunflower River Blues & Festival in August, but it\u2019s also a hopping place during the King Biscuit Fest. Red\u2019s<\/strong> juke joint on Sunflower Avenue will be offering live music from Wednesday through Sunday, with the larger than life Big George Brock<\/strong><\/span> from St. Louis playing late on Saturday night. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"On both Sa\"\"turday and Sunday afternoons Clarksdale Rock & Blues Museum<\/strong>, which houses the massive collection of Dutchman Theo Dasbach, hosts the free 2nd Street Blues Party<\/strong><\/span>. On Sunday morning Cat Head Delta Blues and Folk Art hosts<\/strong> its tri-annual (and free) Cat Head Mini Blues Festival<\/strong><\/span>, with a lineup including Brock<\/strong><\/span> and Robert \u201cWolfman\u201d Belfour<\/strong><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

From 2\u20137pm on Sunday the Hopson Plantation<\/strong>, located just outside of Clarksdale on Highway 49, hosts the annual Pinetop Perkins Homecoming<\/strong><\/span>. Perkins, who lived on Hopson during the 40s and died in 2011 at the ripe age of 97, was a regular attendee. This year\u2019s musical guests will include Paul Oscher<\/strong><\/span> and Bob Margolin<\/strong><\/span>, Perkins\u2019 bandmates in Muddy Waters\u2019 group. Performances will take place at the Hopson Commissary, the Juke Joint Chapel<\/strong>, located in a former cotton gin, as well as at an outdoor stage.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bridging The Blues: Arkansas \u2022 Memphis \u2022 Mississippi (Part 2 of 2) (Click HERE to read Part 1)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":238,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4033","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/238"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4033"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4033\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4033"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4033"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}