THE MISSISSIPPI TOUR 2011, PART 1 OF 2
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Home of the Blues
BluesWebzine.com's parent magazine Blues-Finland.com celebrated its fifth
Anniversary in September 2011. To make the Anniversary ever more
interesting, a squad – Editor Pasi Tuominen, photographer Mikko Tanner –
took a week-long trip to the birthplace of the blues. The State of Mississippi.
Mississippi is not the best place for one in search of live blues. That's well known.
Instead, we were asking questions like: What is Mississippi like? What can you
find there? What are the people like? We wanted to feel the spirit. Wanted to
walk the land made sacred by all those blues heroes decades earlier.
The trip could have had a better start, however. We arrived in Jackson, the State
Capital, on a Thursday. All we could see downtown were grim, empty streets. Not
a single bar was open. After some searching, we were able to locate Hal & Mal's:
a Jackson staple since the 70's. Virgil Brawley (from The Juvenators) was to
perform live -- so there was hope!
Cautiously excited, we opened the door and stepped into the club. Zero
audience. "The gang killed us", uttered a member of staff. Moving on. Walk
across the parking lot and you'll find Martin's, a pretty traditional place as well.
Martin's has some of that juke joint feel; the performing all-white pop and
bluegrass groups were hardly satisfactory, though. The highlight of the night
turned out to be Southern Pecan... a local beer made with nuts!
Our night ended at 119 Underground. This is a mainstream club, a fact
emphasized by flawless leather sofas and red velvet curtains. On stage was Lisa
Mills. She wasn't half bad, although after a bluesy start she moved into not-that-
rootsy, singer-songwriter stuff. Anyway the food was decent, service was nice
and the cocktail list included a Robert Johnson Special: Jeremiah Weed Sweet
Tea Vodka and lemon juice. 119 Underground says this was the legendary
bluesman's favorite mix. Nice try...
BB's birthday, Indianola Style
Things could only get better. And they did. On Friday, we steered our rented
wheels (why do I always get a Japanese car?) southbound: paid a visit to Robert
Johnson's hometown of Hazlehurst, later made a westward turn towards
Vicksburg. In Vicksburg, the southernmost point of the Mississippi Delta and the
home of Willie Dixon, we at last had the chance to enjoy some of that famous
Mississippi catfish. Deep-fried and tasty!
And then: the legendary Highway 61. The first stop on the "blues hiway" was the
tiny Rolling Fork, close to which Muddy Waters was born in 1913. Twelve years
his junior, Riley B. King was born close to Indianola (in Berclair, actually), our
second overnight spot. Interestingly enough, it was B.B.'s birthday. Local joints
didn't seem overly excited about it: the legendary Club Ebony had no live
performer and the 308 Blues Club was closed altogether. The Blue Bisquit, with
its giant flat-screen tv's, wasn't too tempting in the first place.
Having said that, the visit to Club Ebony was memorable. We were the only white
people there, save from two blues tourists, but were welcomed with open arms.
The lady behind the bar charged a more-than-reasonable price of one dollar for a
bottle of beer. She also encouraged us to pick up some food from the back – just
for tips. Club Ebony is like a time capsule. I'm sure it looks a lot like what it used
to be in the days of the Chitlin' Circuit. It was obvious it's still a place where
people go to get crazy!
There was still time to pay a visit to the Gin Mill. Owner Tom Bingham couldn't
stop laughing after the guests from Washington, D.C. tried to pay five dollars for
a beer. "That's five dollars for two!" he half-shouted. On a more serious note, Mr
Bingham is painfully aware of the poor live scene in Indianola and in most other
Mississippi locales. "We've had some bands earlier, but here they would have to
play for the door. If I pay them 450 dollars for a gig and sell beers for 2.50
apiece, guess who the fuck-puppy is!"
Well, time to call it a day and get ready for another one. On Saturday, we visited
the fine establishment that is the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretative
Center. The history of B.B. as well as Mississippi music in general is exhibited
there in various forms: clothes, items, video, audio, even some interactive stuff. A
place well worth visiting.
Up Jumped the Devil
After the museum visit, we were going to check out Robert Johnson's (alleged)
gravesite in Greenwood, then head for Clarksdale to have some Saturday night
fun. Tall order? Indeed, but we made it.
Greenwood's Zion Church is not an easy place to find. After a number of miscues,
we arrived at the old, white wooden building and found Robert's stone. Fans had
brought him cigarettes, beads, even a drum stick. I left him a guitar pick.
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Here lies Robert Johnson... possibly (see more photos in gallery)
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Inside the church, the choir is practicing. The music we hear is the kind of gospel
that is easily associated with the blues. As we are ready to pull off, a lady from
the choir invites us in. She is, however, not at all pleased to realize that we have
primarily come to pay a visit to Robert Johnson -- a man known to play that
"Devil's music"...
"They shot parts of 'The Help' here", she educates referring to the recent Golden
Globe-winning movie. "It's and old church, approximately 135 years old. Come to
the service tomorrow and you'll see a lot of screamin' and jumpin'!"
Oh, we can't... finding the place took some of our precious time, and we're still
some 60 miles away from Clarksdale. Again, moving on.
Slim Saturday
We arrive in Clarksdale just in time to visit the Delta Blues Museum. My personal
highlight is walking into what used to be Muddy Waters' cabin. Next day we
visited its (again, allegedly) original site on Stovall Road, just outside Downtown
Clarksdale.
We haven't heard a lot of live blues yet, have we? A sure bet to rectify this is to
go to Morgan Freeman's Ground Zero Blues Club. I get to taste another version
of catfish -- grilled this time -- plus Delta tamales and comeback sauce (a
seasoned mayo, really). The food is all good, and the band isn't bad, either. Mark
"The Mule Man" Massey is on stage with his band. Nice covers of songs by Otis
Rush, Muddy, B.B. and so on.
It is still not enough. We just have to go to Red's Lounge, about which we've
heard so much. Bullseye. Watermelon Slim is on. He is on fire. Playing alone in
this little room that reminds me of a deserted junkyard, he growls, makes his
slide guitar whine like the Devil himself. A bunch of round-eyed people watch and
listen in amazement. Blues at its rawest. Brilliant.
"You just have to thank Red Paden. This joint keeps the blues alive here and
worldwide", says Slim during a break. Slim also learns there are Scandinavians in
the audience. "I've been to Sweden and Norway almost every year, once even in
Finland. My favorite band is Sweden's Hooligans", he says in between long sips
from a brown paper bag.
Many extended songs and gulps later Watermelon Slim seems ready for bed, so I
guess it's time for us to leave as well. "Thanks for coming, I appreciate. We've
got live music tomorrow too, so come again", Red says from behind his black
shades.
End of part one.
PASI TUOMINEN, words
MIKKO TANNER, photography
Read Travelogue Part Two, view photo gallery
The Mississippi tour (September 2011) was a way to celebrate Blues-Finland.com's 5th
Anniversary (international edition BluesWebzine.com was founded in 2008). The tour was
sponsored in part by Finland's Ministry of Education and Culture.
Links: The State of Mississippi, VisitMississippi.org, Mississippi Blues Trail
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