Celebrating Freedom in Benton County on the Fourth of July
Benton County, Mississippi has always been a rough place. Formed out of part of Marshall and Tippah counties, it sits in the middle of the …
Museums
Clarksdale Celebrates The Blues And The Juke Joint Culture That Gave It Birth
Most people throw themselves a party on their birthday, but Cat Head Delta Blues owner Roger Stolle throws one for his whole adopted hometown on …
A Great Burger And A Taste of Shreveport’s Musical History
It was my last day in Shreveport, and I wanted a hamburger. I resisted the thought of Twisted Root Burger Company at first, because I …
A Delta Journey: A Vicksburg Renaissance
On my last venture into downtown Vicksburg, I recall that an old building on Clay Street was collapsing into the street. A large pile of …
Great Music and A Glorious Sunset at WEVL’s Blues on the Bluff in Memphis
Brownsville drummer Kesha Burton had asked me if I would take her to the annual Blues on the Bluff fundraiser for Memphis community radio station …
“They Got To Sew, Sew, Sew”: Mardi Gras Indians Uptown and Downtown
The traditional Mardi Gras parades can be fun, but my favorite part of carnival is in the ‘hoods and backstreets, where the gangs of Mardi …
Can Tourism and the Arts Save a Struggling Delta Town?
Along Highway 61’s strand of tired, worn buildings and washed-out towns, Wilson, Arkansas first appears as a grove of trees on the horizon straight ahead …
A Rainy Day In Shreveport
I usually spend the Friday before Grambling Homecoming shopping, searching for Grambling memorabilia and ephemera, as well as records and books. But this year, rather …
Celebrating the Life of B. B. King in Indianola
Each year in B. B. King’s hometown of Indianola, Mississippi, deep in the historic Delta region, the great bluesman returned in late May for an …
Crisis901 Presents Dope on Arrival at the House of Mtenzi
I really was not familiar with the Memphis rapper Crisis 901 who was putting on an event called Dope On Arrival at the House of …