blues trailin’ in Mississippi
Pretty sure this is the longest I’ve neglected my sweet lil’ innocent blog. HUGE fail on my part. But! Your about to seeeee alll the lovely things I have been doing.. aka.. ROADTRIPPIN’. Born and bred in MS, I sometimes miss my land. my people. my family. my roots. and of course, my old school real deal BLUES!!! Every other year or so, I have to get my feel and head out on the MS Blues Trail across the Delta. So, for those of you who don’t know what that is…(my dad asked if it was a road that had Blues Musicians playing up and down it off to the sides, yep). Me and a buddy kick started the trip in Jackson, MS.. headed down the Natchez Trace, hit Kosciusko (the town I was actually born and bred in), then Greenwood, Tutwiller, Parchman, Dockery, landing in Clarksdale at the Shack Up Inn. Hitting the last of the Juke Joints around, eating at some of the most authentic southern restaurants, educating ourselves through museums, blues jammin’ on porches of shacks, and meeting some pretty damn cool tourists all the way… Sweatin’ our butts off the whole time too. whew.
The Mississippi Blues Trail markers tell stories through words and images of bluesmen and women and how the places where they lived and the times in which they existed–and continue to exist–influenced their music. The sites run the gamut from city streets to cotton fields, train depots to cemeteries, and clubs to churches. We have a lot to share, and it’s just down the Mississippi Blues Trail.
There are 170 blues markers total, only 11 are out of the state of Mississippi, including one in Norway. Just to give ya an idea…..
My buddy Scott Barretta here mapping out a plan for us (post lunch in Greenwood, MS at my friend Taylor’s restaurant, Delta Bistro) with Greenwood’s Mayor Carolyn McAdams looking on (my cousins Mom) yep, that’s typical MS kin. Scott is partly responsible for the Blues Trail and writes all of the markers! We are in good hands…
The 113th marker in Parchman at the Mississippi State Penitentiary..placed in September, 2010.
I know, I am spoiled. Old friend, Cedric Burnside jamming on our porch at the Shack Up Inn. No big deal. Cedric is a legend himself, but also the great and legendary bluesman R.L. Burnside’s grandson.
Oh look! It’s STUD ( T Model Ford’s grandson) and Lightnin’ Malcolm. They were recording at Shack Up Inn……I’ve been watching STUD play drums for his grandad since he was 8.
