Mississippi Day 3, Just the Blues

Day 3

Saturday, April 12, 2025

    Sunrise over West Helena, shot from the motel walkway.

    After you've done the Juke Joint Festival a few times, you get to know a few tricks.  Even though the first bands aren't scheduled until 10A, you get there nice and early.  

     A twenty square block area is cordoned off and close in parking can be interesting.  So, I left early, ditched the car in a free lot and walked down to the coffee shop.  Vendors were setting up their tables.  A few were selling guitars and you could hear them tuning up.  

     While I realize the parking lot lines haven't been repainted in quite a while, but I caught someone parking behind me again this morning.  Fortunately, they had just pulled up and I was able to shoo them away.  Who knew parking could be this challenging.  But, I moved the car to a different spot anyway.

     There's a small makeshift stage adjacent to the lot.  Theo "Boogieman" Dasbach was performing in fifteen minutes and warming up on his electric piano.  Based solely on his noodling, I bought one of his CDs and changed my plan for the morning.  Definitely the right choice.

     There's surprisingly little on Youtube from him.  This is from a series of back porch concerts he did during the Covid lockdowns five years ago.  

      He used to run an art gallery and blues museum here in town with it's own small stage.  You can see some of his work here:

    

    Outside Hambones was a woman who performs under the name Cricket.  She played a mix of blues and Joni Mitchell songs.  I couldn't find anything about her, or any videos to share.  Talented performer though.  

     Last year, I only caught the end of Coyote Motel's set.  This year, I knew I needed to see more.  It's not often you hear a blues band like this.

    This is the only blues band I've ever seen using a Theremin, as well as a Glockenspiel.  

     That's Ted Drozdowski on guitar and Laurie Hoffman on Theremin.  Later in the day I was sitting in the shade, listening to someone else and they walked up.  They had their lunch and asked if they could join me at the table.   We wound up having a great conversation about old juke joints.  In hindsight, I should have also asked him about this guitar.  

      Every year at the festival, Team Ghost Riders performs.  This is the first time I actually saw them.  Imagine if you can, sheep being herded around a pen by monkey riding dogs.  You can see video of a performance at a minor league baseball game here:  It's exactly what you think.

      Wade Walton was an institution around Clarksdale.  This was the site of his combination barbershop and lounge.  He cut hair by day, played the blues at night.  Even though he recorded a couple of albums, he claimed he didn't make enough off them to quit his day job.  You can see him performing his song "Rock Me Baby" in his barber shop back in 1975.

     The site is now an outdoor venue.  Earl "Guitar" Williams was playing when I walked up. 

     There used to be an old juke joint outside Birmingham, Alabama called Gip's Place.  Henry Lee "Gip" Gipson spent twenty-five years building rail cars for Pullman.  In the evening, he'd sit on his porch playing the blues.  

     Eventually, other musicians started joining him and it became jam sessions in the back yard.  A local contractor decided they needed a proper place and built a small club out back.  That became Gip's Place.  You could hear the music from two blocks away.  The neighbors didn't complain, but the city told him he could only open on Saturdays.  Then the city tried to crack down on crowd size.  You can watch a documentary on Gip here:

      I made the drive out a few times and it was always a lot of fun.  Earl Williams even wrote a song about it.  

     Gary Burnside was playing outside the new Red Panther Brewery.  Someone had recommended him along the way.   But, I only caught the last few songs.  Definitely next time.  You can see him performing "Going Down South" here:

     One of the great things about a festival like this, every performer brings their own flavor.  Case in point, Rising Stars Fife and Drum band.  That's Sharde Thomas on fife and her husband on drums.  Her grandfather, Otha Thomas had toured the world with his band and even appeared on an episode of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood.  You can see more of Sharde's story here:  You can see them perform here:

     Around the corner, Libby Rae Watson was performing.  She's another musician I would have loved to see do a full set.  You can hear her play "It's a Dream" here:

    From here it was back to Wade's Barbershop.  Peggy Hemphill goes by the stage name Lady Trucker.  And yes, that's her day job.  Here she is performing "Skinny Man" from last year's Juke Joint Festival.

      What struck me was her use of that fan.  It would make a pop whenever she snapped it open or closed.  There were times she used it as it's own percussive instrument.  

     While Lady Trucker was finishing her set, I realized Libby was standing three feet away from me, watching as well.

     We got to talking.  I asked if she had any CDs.  Few people buy them anymore, but she did have some in the car.  So yeah, I bought both them.

     A few miles from downtown is what was once Hopson's Plantation.  What used to be the commissary is now a music venue.  

 

      There was a half hour until Blue Mother Tupelo was to go on.  So, I went to get a beer.  The Bartender looked strangely at my Stone Pony T-shirt and said, "so that's where the Stone Pony is."  

      Fifteen years ago, a new pizza place opened in the heart of the music district.  Unfamiliar with the Jersey Shore venue, the owner named it The Stone Pony.  He was surprised by the inevitable lawsuit.

      The pizza owners explained it's a very old Mississippi slang term.  It references a family member who's considered useless or dead weight.  The owner of the music venue laughed and agreed to drop the lawsuit, with one concession.  The place in Jersey is THE Stone Pony.  The restaurant would shorten their name to just Stone Pony.  And everyone went away happy.

     And the pizza... really good.

      By the time Blue Mother Tupelo started their set, the place was filling up fast.  I was three tables from the stage and could barely hear them.  All around me were loud conversations.  It was as if very few were actually paying attention to the band.  

     The band is really good and I would have liked to hear them.  It kind ruined the moment.  You can hear them play "Older" here:

      

    Super Chikan came on next and played a bit louder, drowning out some of the conversations.  You can here him perform "Poor Boy" here:   By the time he finished, I was spent and called it a day.  I knew I still had that drive to West Helena ahead of me.  

Mississippi, Days 4-5 The Afterparty

Day 4

Sunday, April 13, 2025

     It felt good to be packing up the room.  I definitely won't miss the drive to West Helena tonight.  With the main part of the festival over, and the crowds gone, lodging in Clarksdale returned to its previous costs.  So, a cheap room and no commute.

     Sunday breakfast as always was at Grandmother's Pancake House.  And as always, when it's crowded, they put random groups at a table together.  This morning, I was at a table with four visitors from Iowa.  They saw the high prices of motel rooms and decided to camp instead.

     At the Cat Head stage, Lucious Spiller was playing.  He had a stroke a few years ago and had to relearn to play the guitar.  His speech slurs a bit when he talks.  But, not when he sings.  You can see him perform "You Shook Me" from a few years ago here:

       Next on the Cat Head stage was an annual tradition, Rev. Payton and His Big Damn Band.  The band headlines somewhere Saturday night, but has been doing a free show at 11A on Sundays for years.  And as always, they do draw a crowd.  You can hear one of their newest songs, "Like a Treasure" here:

     Next on the stage, Sean "Bad" Apple.  Check out those shoes...

     You can hear him perform his song "Still on This Side of the Dirt" here.  There are newer, cleaner videos.  But, it's the venue that mattered.  Po' Monkey's Lounge used to be a sharecropper's shack until Willie Seaberry turned it into a proper juke joint.

    Located in the middle of nowhere in Marigold, Mississippi, it looked like a light breeze would blow it over.  Will Jacks wrote a tribute for Mississippi Folklife after Willie's passing in 2016.  You can read that here: 

     Years ago, I read a book written by a traveling salesman.  He visited many of the old juke joints and decided to write about it.  Not many were left.  The book made me want to see as many as possible before they were all gone.  One of them was Po' Monkey's.  It was a quiet night with no live music.  So, I had a beer with a few locals and Willie.  Sadly, he passed away in 2016.  With his passing, the lounge closed.

      Next on the stage was Layla Musslewhite, daughter of blues legend Charlie Musslewhite.  You can see them together performing "Baby-O" here"

     Next on the stage was Terry "Big T" Williams.  He was actually born here in Clarksdale.  He heard the blues as a kid and was hooked.  He was gifted his first guitar at nine years old and never looked back.  You can see him sing "Catfish Blues" here:   

   That's Miss Gladys with his.  He introduced her as the last of a famous group of singers.  I wish I had been fast enough to write it down.

     Earlier in the day, I asked about local what it's like on Mondays.  She told me it's practically a ghost town, "just us locals left to our devices."

      There are billboards advertising Live Blues Nightly all over the place.  She told me the four biggest clubs worked out a deal for the quiet seasons.  They worked up a rotation for live music.  This way they weren't all competing for the small crowds.

      Since the vast majority of people leave Sunday, motel rates drop.  That's why I had booked the night at the America's Best Inn.  No driving to Arkansas tonight!  

     At check-in, the owner wanted to know what I paid for the room, $79.  He told me, if I had simply walked in, it would be $3 cheaper.  He seemed adamant that I understood that.

     After dropping off my stuff, it was back to the festival.  The Bluesberry Cafe has a back porch which is their Sunday venue.  Watermelon Slim owns the place and from time to time sits in with the bands.  On Sunday afternoon, he does his own set, with guests.   You can see his video for "Little Bighorn" here:  It was shot in the street in front of his club.  

       Of course, a weekend of the blues wouldn't be the same without the after-party at Red's Tavern.  Red passed away two years ago.  His kids decided to keep it going.  Red had a few rules in his lounge.  They boiled down to respecting the place and the musicians.  And no rock-n-roll, just blues.  

     As always, the house band kicks things off.

      There's a signup sheet by the door.  Just add your name to the list and they rotate you in to play.  Generally, you get three songs.  The guys playing bass and drums rotated in and played close to an hour.  They were loving it.

     A young guitarist named Tito came all the way from Norway for the festival.  The crowd loved him.  He finished his three songs, packed up his guitar and stepped outside.

      I didn't recognize the next player, but many in the crowd did.  When he opened his harmonica case, they started cheering.  He was introduce as Doc William?  I think that's what I heard.  I'll call him Doc anyway.  

    Before he played, he said, he needed a guitar player.  People started shouting "Tito."  Someone went outside to get him.  Tito obviously recognized Doc.    

     

       During his set, he periodically would turn to the other musicians and say "your turn."  Loved the respect towards Doc, and by Doc.  

     When they finished, I woman on the other side of the floor stopped Tito, told him she had recorded the whole thing and would he like her to send it to him.  Just amazing.  

     A few other performers and after about three hours I called it a night.

Day 5

Monday, April 14, 2025

     I was up and out with the sun for a long, uneventful drive home.   Just a direct drive out and back is exhausting.  If I do this next year, I'll definitely have to make it into one of those roundabout trips instead.  But still, well worth it.   

Dave

4/2025