Celebrating R. L. Boyce’s Birthday at Como, Mississippi
Last year marked the first time we had organized a large outdoor birthday party for Hill Country bluesman R. L. Boyce, and that first picnic, …
Festivals
Brunch on Full Blast and Murals in the Bywater
Sunday morning, Darren Towns and I headed over to yet another new breakfast spot in New Orleans, this one in a familiar location, 139 South …
Remembering Willie “Po Monkey” Seaberry at Merigold, Mississippi
Although a few of my friends expressed concern and disapproval of the name of Merigold, Mississippi’s Po Monkey Day, the event was organized for the …
Celebrating West Tennessee’s Folk Music Roots in Stanton
Ted Maclin is a farmer, an anthropology professor, a folk musician, and the owner of the antebellum home Oak Hill at Keeling, between Mason and …
The Rising Star JuBallLee Takes Over Cherry Place At Waterford
Since the death of the legendary fife and drum musician Othar Turner, his granddaughter Sharde Thomas has done stellar work in preserving that musical tradition, …
Simple, Inexpensive, Outstanding Food at Brownsville’s Mindfield Grill
I had been in Brownsville for the Fife Fest at the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center, which broke up at 8 PM, and I was …
Celebrating West Tennessee’s Lost Fife and Drum Tradition
Last summer, the Tennessee Arts Commission began a Folklife Apprenticeship program to preserve endangered folkways in the state, and one of the areas of interest …
Friday Night in Tipton County: Erwin’s Great Steaks and Grand Opening of The Blue Room in Mason
It was a wonderfully-sunny afternoon, and I knew that a new juke joint called The Blue Room was having their grand opening in Mason, so …
Second Annual Kimbrough Cotton Patch Blues Festival in Holly Springs
This is the second year of the Kimbrough Cotton Patch Blues Festival, which celebrates the legacy of Junior Kimbrough and his sons David, Robert and …
Celebrating the Kimbrough Family’s Blues Legacy at The Hut in Holly Springs
For the second year, fans of Mississippi blues came to Holly Springs to celebrate the legacy of Junior Kimbrough and his sons David, Robert and …