Some Wholesome Rap and Traditional Blues at the Hatchie River Fest in Brownsville
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 …
Murals
West Memphis Blossoms Along the Broadway of America
West Memphis, Arkansas is a youngster as cities go, having been founded only about 1916. Its growth was steady throughout the 1920s, and even continued …
Celebrating Junior Kimbrough’s Birthday With His Sons Robert and Kinney at Graceland Too in Holly Springs
Graceland Too was one of those off-the-wall quirky places I had heard of but never been to. I’m not particularly an Elvis Presley fan (although …
Kicking Off The Independence Weekend at a 100-year-old Arkansas store
Colt, Arkansas is not really on the beaten path at all, but it is one of several suburbs of the small former industrial city of …
In Search of Harlem Alley
In the spring of 1983, I was going to Central Baptist School in the Bartlett area, and I rode with our basketball team to Forrest …
A City of Murals
While the city of Memphis has struggled in recent years with abandonment and economic problems, one of the bright spots has been an explosion of …
Some Like It Black: Cxffeeblack Celebrates Coffee and Black Culture in Memphis
Years ago, Memphis was coffee-challenged, to say the least. After reading liner notes off my favorite Style Council album attributed to The Cappuccino Kid, I …
Beauty Emerges From Struggle In Memphis
The designation of Memphis as “Grind City” seems fairly well-entrenched at this point. The city’s modern image as a decidedly working-class place synonymous with struggle …
Grooving On A Sunday Afternoon
It was the first really warm Sunday afternoon of the year, and one where I had a rare Sunday afternoon gig with Big Don Valentine …
Afternoon in Shreveport and the Strange Emptiness of a Lost Downtown
I had ridden to Shreveport with someone else, and although I wanted to eat at Orleandeaux’s now that it had opened in the old Smith’s …