On Thursday April 12, 2012 I drove to Clarksdale, Mississippi for the first night of the annual Juke Joint Festival, and a lot has changed since last year. A new coffee bar called Yazoo Pass has opened downtown, the Blues Source CD shop has closed, sadly, and new lofts and condos have appeared. I ate dinner at Rust, grabbed a latte from Yazoo Pass and headed over to the Delta Theater to catch Jimbo Mathus, but I got there a little too late.
The Juke Joint Festival begins tomorrow in Clarksdale, MS and runs through Sunday. Click on the banner for a schedule and further info
The Victory Grill is one of the oldest African-American nightclubs in the country, and one of only a select few stops on the “chitlin’ circuit” to still be functioning in 2012. Of course it sometimes books rock bands these days, and the front has become an excellent coffee bar called the Purple Bean. But it is very much still in operation, and during SXSW sponsored a daylong tribute to the memory of Miles Davis.
If you are a fan of Mississippi blues, you don’t want to miss this. Great music, great fun in Clarksdale, Mississippi. It’s probably too late to get rooms in Clarksdale, but you can probably stay in Tunica, Greenville, Greenwood or Cleveland. See you there!
Ugly Mike’s Records on West 12th in Little Rock is a neighborhood institution. The old building is full of hundreds of rap, blues, soul and gospel CD’s, many of them out of print, as well as old vinyl records. There is a vast selection of local Arkansas rappers, and posters from local artists adorn the walls.
Friday, May 4th HORSESHOE STAGE GIRL TALK LUPE FIASCO SPONGE COLA BREATHE CAROLINA ORION STAGE EVANESCENCE MEGADETH THREE 6 MAFIA VOLBEAT BUD LIGHT STAGE MY …
After the earlier majorette jamboree in Memphis, I drove down to Tunica for the Rosa Fort Jamboree, but that one proved to be quite a disappointment. If drumlines are becoming rarer at Memphis jamborees, they are non-existent at Mississippi ones. After an hour and a half or so, I decided to leave and drive down to Clarksdale to the legendary Ground Zero Blues Club. They were having a Pre-Valentine’s Day Bash with Ricky “Soul Man” Burton and the Basic Soul Band, so there was a fairly substantial cover charge, and, once inside, I found the place packed to the rafters. The TV’s were flashing the breaking news about Whitney Houston’s death as I looked in vain for a table. Finally, I was directed to a table where a French family was sitting, and I was able to sit down and order food. The band and vocalists were quite good, and the audience included a lot of radio personalities from Helena’s Delta Force III and Clarksdale’s WROX.
Wild Bill’s is the quintessential Memphis juke, a North Memphis neighborhood institution. The red walls are covered with old photos and clippings, beer is served in 40-ounce bottles, and the Hollywood All-Stars provide just the right mood with a mix of blues and soul. The room-length tables guarantee you’ll meet new friends, and things don’t get started here until they’ve just about ended everywhere else (the band plays from 10 PM-3 AM). If you’re seeking an authentic Memphis experience, bypass Beale Street and come to Wild Bill’s.
Wild Bill’s is the quintessential Memphis juke, a North Memphis neighborhood institution. The red walls are covered with old photos and clippings, beer is served in 40-ounce bottles, and the Hollywood All-Stars provide just the right mood with a mix of blues and soul. The room-length tables guarantee you’ll meet new friends, and things don’t get started here until they’ve just about ended everywhere else (the band plays from 10 PM-3 AM). If you’re seeking an authentic Memphis experience, bypass Beale Street and come to Wild Bill’s.
