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Visit Mississippi... Online!
In
Early August 2006, my trio, Dale Boyle and the Barburners and the Malted Milk blues band left Montreal and headed down south
USA to perform at the birthplace of the blues, Clarksdale, Mississippi. The show, part of a cultural exchange headed by Maximum
Blues festival director Pierre Ménard has been a huge success in recent years and this year, on August 11, 2006, we,
and Malted Milk, were scheduled to perform at Clarksdale, Mississippi’s Sunflower River Blues & Gospel Festival.
It was a unique experience, and with all the blues history Mississippi has to offer, it really is the place to visit, let
alone perform. We visited a number of notable landmarks in Clarksdale, and here are some to check out online.
If you should ever find yourself in Clarksdale, make sure to
visit the Delta Blues Museum. The museum lives up to its mission statement "creating a welcoming place where visitors
find meaning, value and perspective by exploring the history and heritage of this unique American musical art form known as
the 'Blues'". Of course, the museum’s appeal is in its blues artifacts: Mississippi Fred McDowell’s original gravestone
and Muddy Waters' actual house are just a couple of examples of the blues history and heritage contained within the museum.
Check out the museum online at www.deltabluesmuseum.org.
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| Members of both visiting bands uniting for an encore. Photo by Eric-Paul Hus |
Another place to visit in Clarksdale is "Ground Zero", a blues
venue and restaurant co-owned by actor Morgan Freeman. With live music Wednesday to Saturday each week, the Ground Zero Blues
Club “was created to celebrate the area's rich blues heritage and to provide a forum in which it can continue”. It’s a great place to experience Southern cooking and genuine delta blues. With
a mission statement to “showcase the best of today's Delta Blues musicians”, the venue is known around the world
and in 2005, Ground Zero was named one of the "Top 100 Bars and Nightclubs in America”. Visit the Ground Zero Blues
Club online at www.groundzerobluesclub.com.
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| The Famous Ground Zero Blues Club by day |
To bring home a bit of Mississippi
blues, make sure to stop by Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art. Owned by Roger & Jennifer Stolle, the store has a bit of everything. A cigar box one-string instrument perhaps…a gas
can guitar made and painted by local musician, James “Super Chikan” Johnson. Yep, at Cat Head you’ll find
quite a mix of items, from art, videos, books, and of course, a range of blues CDs, including local artists such as Big George
Brock, Big Jack Johnson, Big T and the Family, Super Chikan, and many others. To find out more about what Cat Head has to
offer, and to do some online shopping of authentic delta blues, visit www.cathead.biz.
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| Cat Head - a must see! Photo by Eric-Paul Hus |
Of course, if you plan on visiting Clarksdale, Mississippi, make sure your trip coincides with
Mississippi’s Sunflower River Blues & Gospel Festival. This year the festival provided blues entertainment to an
estimated 25,000+ fans! At the Sunflower River Blues & Gospel Festival you’ll get to see and hear a number of Mississippi
artists, from acoustic solo artists, electric blues acts, and a string of incredible gospel performances to close the festival.
Although you have to be there to experience this great festival, for now, check it out at www.sunflowerfest.org.
These are just a few key websites to check out, and as you’ll see, if you click around
and follow the links on each site, there is much more to discover.
If you’d like to read more about my trip to Mississippi, visit www.daleboyle.com for pictures, stories, and video.
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Dale Boyle -
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| James "Super Chikan" Johnson's famous hand-made gas can guitars! |
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