Memphis bluesman Big Don Valentine had been called at the last minute to a fill a gap in the schedule of the Hatchie River Festival in Brownsville, Tennessee, which is held every fall on the courthouse square. So I got up early and headed out Highway 70 to Bozo’s in Mason. Bozo’s is usually a. barbecue place, but they have recently started opening at 9 AM for breakfast, and this was my first opportunity to try their breakfast, which was good.
The weather was fairly cool and crisp, but there were a good number of vendors and people around the square, but fewer at the amphitheatre. Once I got my equipment unloaded near the stage, I walked around the square, and stepped in Brownsville Meeting Grounds, the local coffee house, to get a hot mocha latte, and gradually the rest of our band members arrived from Memphis.
I was somewhat surprised that the festival had booked a rapper this year known as Memphis Jelks, and even more surprised that he name-drops the all-too-overlooked Memphis rap legend Al Kapone on his current single “We Built This City,” which features Chuck D of Public Enemy. While I have only a little patience for most current-day rap, Jelks raps over soulful beats, and delivered a performance that was perfect for all ages and all ears at a community festival. His performance would have been more interesting with a live band instead of tracks, but he is a talented artists and one we will likely be hearing more from in the future.
Our performance followed, and thankfully, it had warmed up somewhat by the time we had to play. Don is a Memphis blues legend, and he gave the crowd a great mix of traditional blues like “Hoochie Coochie Man” and good Memphis soul like Rufus Thomas’ “Walking the Dog.” We were followed by a group that seemed to have horn players, but unfortunately I had to be at work in an hour, so I had to load out and ride out quickly, just barely making it back to Bartlett before I had to clock in. But it was altogether a great morning.