Halloween: From Whiteville to Como to Sardis
Halloween this year fell on a Saturday, and early in the afternoon, I drove over to Backermann’s Country Market in Whiteville, Tennessee, an Amish bakery …
music
Duwayne Burnside at Foxfire Ranch in August
The COVID pandemic has had a drastic and devastating effect on the Hill Country and Cotton Patch Soul Blues scenes in North Mississippi, with almost …
Friday Night Dinner at The Biscuitry in Bolivar
Periodically, I receive sponsored messages in my Facebook timeline, and on one afternoon, a message from a restaurant called The Biscuitry caught my attention. The …
Some Like It Black: Get Your Mug On At Memphis’ New Black-Owned Coffee Bar
Many years ago, Memphis arguably had one of the country’s best Black coffee bars. Precious Cargo, in the Pinch District, was both a coffee bar …
Quarantine Images
The sudden closure of everything in mid-March due to Covid-19 had a devastating effect on all live music, including the blues. Nearly everything was closed …
All On A Mardi-Gras Day: “You Know How It Goes”: Closing Out The Holiday With The TBC Brass Band
The approaching end of any holiday can be depressing, but there is no better way to close out a Mardi Gras Day than with what …
All On A Mardi-Gras Day: A Backyard Party Uptown with TBC Brass Band
The house where TBC was to play at 4 PM looked like a fairly ordinary Uptown home from the street, but it was abuzz with …
All On A Mardi-Gras Day: “I Run Through Water and Swim Through Mud”: Black Indians Uptown
The gangs of Black Indians (sometimes called Mardi Gras Indians) who appear in elaborate costumes on the streets of New Orleans on Mardi Gras, St. …
All On A Mardi-Gras Day: The Rex Parade
The end of Zulu is followed almost immediately by Rex, and although they follow different routes to a point, they end up coming right behind …
All On A Mardi-Gras Day: Breakfast and Zulu Parade Uptown
I was awakened by children’s laughter. My friend Darren Towns’ four daughters were as excited by Mardi Gras morning as kids usually are on Christmas …