To Jackson, Tennessee for a Birthday Celebration
Although I did not have the money to take a long trip out of town, on the day after my birthday, I decided to drive …
Record Stores
Vinyl Lives in Downtown Memphis at River City Records
In 1967, the Memphis Housing Authority warned Ruben Cherry that he would have to close or move his legendary Home of the Blues Record Store …
Seven Hours in Jackson, Mississippi
On a recent August Saturday, I had occasion to drive to Jackson, Mississippi’s capital city, and it gave me an opportunity to spend an afternoon …
A Day of Blues at Fordyce’s Cotton Belt Festival
It is often hard to be a journalist or observer and also a working musician within the scene I am trying to document. But I …
Celebrating the Legendary Blues Researcher Axel Kustner in West Point, Mississippi
German blues researcher Axel Kustner was one of the last blues field workers to comb the southern United States looking for bluesmen, and he was …
Clarksdale Celebrates The Blues And The Juke Joint Culture That Gave It Birth
Most people throw themselves a party on their birthday, but Cat Head Delta Blues owner Roger Stolle throws one for his whole adopted hometown on …
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 …
Juke Joint Fest: Starting The Day With Joe and Trenton Ayers
In previous Juke Joint Festivals, Cat Head Delta Blues and Folk Art has been sort of the nerve center for the festival, but this year …
A Dinner at Molly’s Place in Grenada
I had read several months ago that a new restaurant had opened in Grenada, Mississippi called Molly’s Place. I had seen that they shared a …
A Wet And Busy Juke Joint Fest in Clarksdale
I usually enjoy myself quite a bit at the annual Juke Joint Fest in Clarksdale, but this year’s festival was both wet and harried, as …