Founded 1963 Relaunched 2019. The Postmodern South.
Otha Turner
Otha Turner

Preserving Endangered Traditions at Day 1 of the Otha Turner Picnic

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Otha Turner Summerfest 2012

Summer Festival at Otha’s Place, Gravel Springs near Senatobia, MS, 7/7/12 featuring the Rising Star Fife and Drum Band, other gospel and blues artists, 3-11 PM.

Preserving the Endangered Fife and Drum Music Tradition in Mississippi

Few musical experiences can compare to the raw power of African-American fife and drum music. Unfortunately, this musical style once found throughout the south is now found only amongst the members of one extended family in Panola County, Mississippi. Sharde Thomas upholds the legacy of her grandfather Otha Turner and his Rising Star Fife and Drum Band. They will be holding their annual picnic on the last weekend of August at Gravel Springs outside of Como, Mississippi.

Pursuing the Hill Country Blues Tradition in Como

Perhaps no town is as much a part of the Hill Country Blues tradition as the small town of Como, Mississippi in Panola County. It was the hometown of Mississippi Fred McDowell, and of Otha Turner, whose Rising Star Fife and Drum Band may be last band of its kind in America. Today, it is home to great restaurants like the Como Steak House and the Windy City Grill, the Como Inn bed-and-breakfast, and Jimbo Mathus’ Delta Recording Service, where great music is still being recorded. It’s also worth noting that at some point, Tallulah Bankhead briefly lived there!