A Welcoming Mardi-Gras Barbecue in New Orleans
For Mardi Gras 2022, I decided to ride the Amtrak train down to New Orleans instead of driving my car. I learned that train travel …
Barbecue
Great Barbecue and a Fun Atmosphere at Oxford’s Lamar Yard
After my final performance at the Oxford Blues Festival with Duwayne Burnside, my friend and I were hungry for barbecue. Although there was a barbecue …
Blues in the Alley in Holly Springs
Each summer, the town of Holly Springs, Mississippi in Marshall County usually has a series of blues concerts on or near the town square. The …
The Mason Family Reunion: Great Weather, Good Food, Fun and Fellowship, But No Musicians
Predominantly-African-American towns in Mississippi have a tradition of annual “days,” named for the towns, in which there are live performances, and in which people from …
Celebrating the Music of the Hill Country at Waterford, Mississippi
One of the best things about our slow return to normalcy has been the reappearance of the festivals we missed in 2020. The North Mississippi …
A Friday Evening in Jackson, Tennessee
I was supposed to meet a friend for dinner in Brownsville, so I headed out Highway 70 from Bartlett, and stopped in Mason, Tennessee to …
Duwayne Burnside and Ms. Nikki at a Really Big Backyard Party in Holly Springs
One week after the earlier graduation party, there was an even bigger outdoor backyard party in Holly Springs, this one at a large house north …
Hill Country Blues at a Graduation Party in Holly Springs
Marshall County, Mississippi is one of those out-of-the-way places in the South where old traditions and ways have retained a foothold. The county is the …
Juke Joint Fest: Two Breakfasts and a Welcome Return to Normalcy
Although the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale typically fills up all hotel rooms in Coahoma County, sometimes something will open up in the last day …
Great Blues and Barbecue in Coldwater, Mississippi
Memphis is known for great barbecue, but strangely, barbecue is rarer in Mississippi, so when a new place appeared in the town of Coldwater, in …