The Rising Star Fife and Drum Band with Luther Dickinson and other friends at the Otha Turner Picnic, Gravel Springs, Mississippi, August 27, 2011
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Luther Dickinson and Sharde Thomas with the Rising Star Fife and Drum Band, Gravel Springs, 2011
Luther Dickinson and Sharde Thomas are joined by the members of the Rising Star Fife and Drum Band at the Otha Turner Picnic, Gravel Springs, Mississippi, August 27, 2011.
Othar Turner Fife and Drum Picnic at Gravel Springs, Senatobia, 2011
Otha Turner’s granddaughter, Sharde Thomas has been the driving force in keeping the legacy of the Rising Star Fife and Drum Band going, and this year’s picnic attracted a number of well-known performers, including Luther Dickinson of the North Mississippi All-Stars.
Otha Turner’s Annual Family Picnic at Gravel Springs
The family of Otha Turner has continued his tradition of having a picnic at his old homestead in Gravel Springs between Senatobia and Como. The event features fife and drum music, Hill Country blues, good fun and barbecued goat (if you dare!).
Mitchell vs. Manassas @ BTW, Memphis, 2011
Last night was a great night for football, with the weather cool and pleasant, and I headed down to historic Booker T. Washington Stadium for the Mitchell vs. Manassas game. Unfortunately, there was no band battle, because only Manassas brought their band, but Manassas looks as if they may be on the way to rebuilding their band program. We also had to contend with annoying, dive-bombing insects of some sort that would drop out of the sky on us or at least near us. But I still had fun.
Charles “Packy” Axton Album Release Party at Stax
In some ways, Charles “Packy” Axton was the forgotten man in the Stax Records saga. The son of one of the partners, Estelle Axton, he was a saxophone player in the original Stax band, the Mar-Keys, along with Don Nix and others. Exiled from Stax by his uncle, Jim Stewart (by some accounts due to drugs and/or alcohol), he recorded only a handful of sides before dying tragically in 1974, only in his thirties. But the really hip Light in the Attic Records label out of Seattle has assembled all the material they could find into one cool CD called “Late Late Party”, and the album release party at the Stax Museum was something of an all-star gala, despite the odd time of 4 PM on a Tuesday afternoon. Scott Bomar of the Bo-Keys was there, as well as Andrea Lisle, local Memphis music writer, Robert Gordon, the author of It Came From Memphis, legendary bluesman/photographer Don Nix, who had been Packy’s bandmate in the Mar-Keys, and L. H. White, who was the “L.H.” in L. H. and the Memphis Sounds, who cut four sides under Packy’s direction that would ultimately come out on the Nashville-based Hollywood label. Altogether, it was a good time with good music, and the only sad thing being that Charles “Packy” Axton never saw such acclaim during his lifetime.
Fairley vs. Hamilton at the Whitehaven Classic, 2011
The second game of the Whitehaven Classic was between Fairley High School and Hamilton High School. Fairley is a rather large school that usually has a band comparable to colleges in size and quality, and this year was no exception. Particularly first-rate is their drumline. Hamilton, on the other hand, is a sad shadow of its former self. For most of my youth, they were the high school band we most wanted to see at a parade or an event. In Christmas parades, they would march down the street a hundred strong, to a hard funk cadence provided by the drummers. Nowadays, they have only one tuba, only one or two bass drummers, one or two snares. Economic realities, crime and drugs have devastated the South Memphis area where the school draws its students from, and open enrollment has made it much easier for students to transfer out of district. It is all very sad to watch.
The end of the third quarter of Fairley and Hamilton was 10 PM, and I didn’t wait around for Whitehaven and Hillcrest.
Westwood vs. Mitchell at the Whitehaven Classic, 2011
Westwood vs. Mitchell at the Whitehaven Classic, Whitehaven Stadium, Memphis, August 20, 2011
Westwood vs. Mitchell at Whitehaven 2011
Memphis’ high-school football (and band) season got underway in earnest this weekend, with Saturday’s Whitehaven Classic offering a marathon three high-school games at Whitehaven Stadium. The first game, between Westwood and Mitchell, was delayed somewhat due to the heat, but as the day progressed and temperatures cooled, the crowds increased. Both Westwood and Mitchell have truly tiny bands this year compared to what I recall from the 1980’s and 1990’s. I suppose their enrollments are down as people have relocated to Hickory Hill, Cordova, Southaven and Olive Branch.
The Acoustic Stage at the Sunflower River Blues and Gospel Festival, Clarksdale, 2011
The Acoustic Stage was at the Sunflower River on Yazoo Avenue, next door to the Quapaw Canoe Company. This stage featured such artists as Kenny Brown, Lucious Spiller and Robert Belfour, August 13, 2011, Clarksdale, MS