The original Delta Review was founded in 1963 by William King Self of Marks, Mississippi as a print magazine. Billed “The Magazine To Keep,” it documented the literature and ways of the Mississippi Delta, with editorial offices in Greenville, Mississippi until about 1966 or 1967 and then in Memphis until its publication end in 1969. Often “too hip for the room,” the Delta Review struggled in Memphis, particularly after the Memphis Chamber of Commerce decided to launch Memphis Magazine. In 2019, the Frontline Music blog was rebranded as The Delta Review, both in tribute to the magazine that William King Self started, and also to better fit the Southeastern culture and lifestyle focus which the blog had become.
My name is John M. Shaw, and I am an ethnomusicologist, blogger, writer, photographer and musician. My interests center around Black culture and folklore, especially the musics of the African Diaspora. The Delta Review has much to do with music, but also travel, food and coffee. I hope that you will find these pages rewarding. The Delta Review is always a work in progress, and older posts may have broken links due to changes in hosting and storage. These are slowly being edited and relinked. Those who wish to contact me can do so at jdoggtn@gmail.com.
hey Man
great stuff on the Mudboy show. there were over 200 people there actually and it was in 1884 Lounge. killer show and hope you can make it each week
John — I am writing an article for wikipedia on the life of greenville sculptor Leon Koury. I was reading some old articles from the greenville Delta democrat times archives and came up a quote attributed to leon that was in the delta review from 1965.
Do you have old copies of the magazine from the 60s and is it possible for you to scan or photocopy the article in which leon koury appeared? AS I said, the DDT said the quote was from 1965.
My e-mail is marshdoc@aol.com (all lower case)
My mailing address is 2970 River Birch, gainesville, GA 30507
I lived in greenville in the 60s and 70s and knew leon and i’m a life-long friend of his student Bill Beckwith
What an incredible collection of cultural knowledge! I’m a city and regional planning student at the University of Memphis, where my colleagues and I are working to create a comprehensive plan for Mason, TN as it heads into its next chapter. I am lucky to have found your extremely valuable site. Thank you for doing this!
Hello,
My name is Shannise. I am working on a family history project. I was wondering about the history of a street in Mason, TN called Boyland Way. My fourth great grandfather was Jim Boyland and he had a farm on Brewer Road in Somerville, TN. I am trying to find any stories about the Boyland family in Mason or Somerville. Jim Boyland was married to Frances Boyland and they had eleven children. There is family folklore about someone being murdered over land back in the 1920’s. Jim Boyland was also committed to Western State Hospital in Bolivar, TN, where he died a year later in 1924.