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JULY 2021
CAT HEAD UPDATE NEWSLETTER
"All the blues that's fit to print."
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THE BLUES IS BACK! Oh wait. It never actually went away in historic Clarksdale, Mississippi...
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CLARKSDALE IS BACK TO LIVE BLUES EVERY SINGLE DAY. Yup. In Clarksdale, thanks to everyone's hard work, we are back to 7 days a week of live blues music at the "crossroads." This didn't just happen. Seriously, thanks to everyone who continues to fold health & safety into our small-town Southern hospitality. Thanks to the clubs, jukes and restaurants who have re-dedicated themselves to presenting live music on a regular basis. And thanks to all of our amazing musicians who hung in there during the toughest months — as well as the untiring efforts of Live From Clarksdale's Colleen Buyers and her team that kept Clarksdale blues alive online every day for over a year. As Colleen restarts her Share Experiences USA projects and events, Live From Clarksdale has scaled the live-streams back to 3 days a week. Check out LiveFromClarksdale.org for weekly calendars, and tour ShareExperiencesUSA.com for her latest 'experience' plans and offerings.
VISIT CLARKSDALE TOURISM UPDATES: Speaking of 'tourism'... Our busy Visit Clarksdale Tourism office continues to jam out new advertising, marketing and visitor materials. Check out the latest Live From Clarksdale live-streams and new Blues Trail Revisited podcast, both sponsored by Visit Clarksdale. Look for Clarksdale print ads in the U.S. blues magazines and on DittyTV.com — plus regional billboards, weekly social media, new folded maps, new interactive kiosks and more. Also, get the new Visit Clarksdale Tourism app. Start your blues pilgrimage today at VisitClarksdale.com, and come say hello to our hard-working tourism director Bubba O'Keefe and his helpful team the next time you're in town.
MY RESPECTFUL REQUEST TO BLUES FRIENDS... Please please please get vaxxed, y'all. The highly-contagious "Delta" Covid variant (not named for the MS Delta, btw) arrived in Mississippi at the end of May. Like the creatures in the Alien movies, the virus has only one mission: transmission. It must get to the next host to survive and replicate. Mississippi is only 30% vaxxed (#50 in the nation), so please take the shots — and bring someone with you. I can't stand losing any more friends, and I hate how the pandemic continues to hobble the global music scene. It's easy to get vaccinated in the Magnolia State. Here's how: https://msdh.ms.gov/msdhsite/_static/14,0,420,976.html. Thanks for helping us get through this thing... and back to the "good" kinda blues.
Have a great 4th of July weekend, and come see us when you can. Thanks and best, Roger
Pic below of Live From Clarksdale founder Colleen Buyers and yours truly in front of a beautiful North MS Hill Country Picnic audience last month in Waterford, Mississippi.
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BAD APPLE BLUES CLUB: Shows every day (but Sunday), new CD, new guitar workshop & festival!!
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For a guy who sleeps till noon every day, Sean "Bad" Apple gets a lot done. As they say, "He's all in!" Let me catch you up on one of Clarksdale, Mississippi's hardest working blues entrepreneurs:
- BAD APPLE BLUES CLUB - Every day but Sunday, the Bad Apple Blues Club (349 Issaquena Ave., next to New Roxy) features 3pm-6pm live blues. Seriously, 6 days a week. Performers so far have included Little Willie Farmer, Miss Australia "Honeybee" Jones, Terry "Big T" Williams, Anthony "Big A" Sherrod, Sean "Bad" Apple himself and others. Watch https://www.cathead.biz/music-calendar for weekly schedules.
- NEW SEAN "BAD" APPLE CD - Can't get here yet? Then, bring Sean to you (without all the meals and laundry needs). Buy his new blues CD today at https://www.cathead.biz/cds-dvds.
- BAD APPLE BLUES GUITAR WORKSHOP - New! Coming the last week of September, Sean's workshop — limited to 10 total participants — will include 4+ days of demonstration performances by Mississippi legends, personal instruction by two teachers, nightly blues jams at various venues, special local visits and more — culminating with the new festival below, where workshop participants get a chance to perform what they've learned. Email Sean at seanbadapple72@gmail.com for more information. Limited to just 10 people. First come, first served.
- BAD APPLE BLUES FESTIVAL - New! Sean will cap off the workshop above with a small-but-mighty Saturday, 10/2, blues festival (open to the public) in the Bad Apple's backyard, featuring real-deal Mississippi blues acts as well as workshop participants. Details to come. Or email Sean.
- FURTHER UPDATES FROM APPLE SAUCE - Check out Sean's Facebook pages at https://www.facebook.com/seanbadapple and https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=bad%20apple%20blues%20club.
  
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Cool, new stuff at Clarksdale, Mississippi's one-and-ony CAT HEAD STORE! Shop in-person or online.
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New shirts, new hats, new books, new vinyl, new CDs, new artwork and more in our WEB STORE at www.cathead.biz. Plus, even more awesome blues, Mississippi and Clarksdale stuff inside our brick-n-mortar store at 252 Delta Avenue, y'all. Shop us in-person every day at 11am (Mon-Fri till 4pm, Sat till 5, Sun till 3). Yup... We're open July 4th, too.
        
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LATEST BLUES, MISSISSIPPI AND RELATED NEWS stories and info. Check out the links below...
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- BLUES AUTHOR EVENT - Details are forthcoming, but I'll (Roger Stolle) join fellow authors Robert Gordon and Shawn Pitts on August 3rd at this year's pandemic-ly rescheduled Books of Madison County event themed "Sounds of the Music Highway" at the Jackson Fairgrounds (800 S Highland Ave, Jackson, TN 38301). We'll all speak, dinner will be served, etc. Once there's a web link, I'll be sure to share it on social media (or feel free to email me in a week or so). I'll talk about my journey from Elvis fan to Mad Man to Mississippi, and tell stories from my books Hidden History of Mississippi Blues and Mississippi Juke Joint Confidential. There will also be a Q&A.
- TED REED'S PODCAST IN PRESS REGISTER - Yeah, I know. One doesn't really "film" a podcast, but otherwise, read on for an interesting local piece on Ted's Visit Clarksdale Tourism-sponsord "Blues Trail Revisited" podcast at https://www.pressregister.com/ted-reed-filming-another-podcast-clarksdale.
- OXFORD BLUES FESTIVAL - Oxford (Mississippi) Blues Festival announces a stellar 2021 lineup! Check it out at https://oxfordbluesfest.com/.
- MISSISSIPPI BLUESMAN CEDRIC BURNSIDE HONORED - Cedric Burnside named as one of the 2021 National Endowment for the Arts’ National Heritage Fellows. https://arts.ms.gov/mississippi-hill-country-blues-musician-cedric-burnside-named-nea-national-heritage-fellow/.
- NEW CEDRIC BURNSIDE ALBUM "I Be Trying" released! Buy CD now (and LP after 7/23) at www.cathead.biz/cds-dvds. Description: "Recorded over three days at Royal Studios in Memphis (the home studio of Al Green and Hi Records in the 60s and 70s), this album is the ultimate statement of purpose for a critically acclaimed artist who has proudly carried the mantle of Mississippi Hill Country blues around the world. Over thirteen tracks, Burnside delivers his bruised but unfettered truth over blistering guitar and deep pocket drums—a sound birthed in his soul but developed and perfected on the road."
- NEW KINGFISH ALBUM - New Christone "KINGFISH" Ingram album coming next month (CD on 7/23, LP later on 10/8) from Clarksdale's young blues star!! Info and first single at https://www.rockandbluesmuse.com/2021/05/12/christone-kingfish-ingram-releases-new-original-song-662-announces-new-album/. Don't have his first CD or LP? Buy now at https://www.cathead.biz/cds-dvds and https://www.cathead.biz/music-video.
- "DR." BOBBY BOBBY BOBBY RUSH... https://www.memphisflyer.com/i-aint-studdin-ya-bobby-rush-scribe-of-the-blues.
- NEW "SUMMER OF SOUL" FILM reviewed by Memphis Flyer at https://www.memphisflyer.com/summer-of-soul.
- CLARKSDALE CALENDAR - Clarksdale is still "THE FESTIVAL CITY"! We've already had 6 festivals this year (really) with over a half dozen more to come for 2021. Plus, we still have live blues 7 days a week (365!) and at least 3 live-streams a week. Keep up with the calendars... MUSIC CALENDAR at https://www.cathead.biz/music-calendar. LIVE-STREAMS at www.livefromclarksdale.org. VISITOR INFO at visitclarksdale.com.
- UNCLE HENRY'S AT MOON LAKE just north of Clarksdale, MS... https://www.memphisflyer.com/uncle-henrys-edges-closer-to-moon-lake-return.
- BLACK PRAIRIE BLUES MUSEUM event in West Point, MS, on Friday, 7/16 from 6pm-9pm. "Brzuszek, Beer & Blues" with art exhibit, beer tasting and live music by Mookie. Info by calling 662-275-7819. Tickets also available at the Growth Alliance in West Point.
- HAPPY 90TH BIRTHDAY to Arhoolie Records' Chris Strachwitz (born July 1, 1931)! https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=6754163.
- UNITED NATIONS 'TOURISM' PROJECTIONS - https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/06/1095052.
- VINTAGE CHICAGO BLUES PICS/VIDS via Google Arts & Culture (thanks to Charlie Musselwhite for the link) - https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/2gKCwTKL0sTsIw.
- BLUES FEST GUIDE magazine JULY newsletter - https://www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/email/newsletter/1415295276.
- BLUES BLAST MAGAZINE - .
- BLUES FOUNDATION NEWS from nearby Memphis - June newsletter at https://mailchi.mp/e8a9143ccfde/june-2021-newsletter.
- DELTA BLUES MUSEUM in Clarksdale, MS, updates/events at https://www.deltabluesmuseum.org/calendar.aspx.
- CLARKSDALE-BORN RAPPER RICK ROSS owns downtown's wing restaurant that opened in the historic Greyhound Station last year, and he cuts his own grass... https://theweek.com/news/1001627/rick-ross-finds-peace-mowing-his-lawn-in-a-custom-tractor.
- GRAMMY MUSEUM MISSISSIPPI update from nearby Cleveland, MS - https://mailchi.mp/grammymuseumms/dont-miss-our-upcoming-programs?e=7a252ab282.
- MEMPHIS' HI RECORDS & HI RHYTHM featured on American Routes radio show at http://americanroutes.wwno.org/archives/show/1225.
- KEEP UP WITH LEVITT SHELL SHOWS in nearby Memphis, TN - levittshell.org.
- OXFORD AMERICAN MAGAZINE... Illustrated history of the scale model of the Mississippi River at Mud Island in Memphis at https://oxfordamerican.org/magazine/issue-113-summer-2021/cast-in-concrete.
- END OF ALL MUSIC IN OXFORD is opening a Jackson, MS, location this fall... https://mailchi.mp/5ffaa18c1c20/eoam-jxn-is-coming-this-fall-now-hiring?e=e1233def60.
- CLAPTON AND VAUGHAN HEADING TO NASHVILLE for show... https://www.ticketmaster.com/eric-clapton-nashville-tennessee-09-21-2021/event/1B005ACAA028304B.
- NEW ORLEANS JAZZ FEST ANNOUNCEMENT at https://www.offbeat.com/news/breaking-jazz-fest-2021-lineup-announced/.
- BLUES FESTIVAL GUIDE CALENDAR and more at https://bluesfestivalguide.com/.
- "NO DEPRESSION" MAG'S CALENDAR of roots music festivals at https://www.nodepression.com/through-the-lens-the-wide-wide-world-of-2021-roots-music-festivals.
- JAZZ FESTIVALS RETURN FOR SUMMER per https://jazztimes.com/festivals-events/guides/the-return-of-festivals-a-full-report-for-now/.
- NORTHEASTS'S MIDDLETOWN PRESS mentions Blues Trail Revisited podcast... https://www.middletownpress.com/entertainment/article/Blues-Beat-It-s-a-post-pandemic-comeback-for-16250757.php.
- LAST MONTH'S "CAT HEAD UPDATE" e-newsletter at https://www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/email/newsletter/1415259640.
Mississippi Juke Joint Confidential book, Cedric Burnside's new CD (both shown below) and much more available now in Web Store at www.cathead.biz.
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"KING OF THE JUKE RUNNERS" CONFIRMS 2021 RED'S OLD-TIMERS BLUES FEST is coming soon...
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Clarksdale's Big Red Paden had a tough time last year (spin.com/featured/the-last-remaining-juke-joints-in-america). We all did. But he especially did. No music at his juke. Cancellation of his fest. Personal health concerns. Passings of blues friends. Continuing utility bills, etc.
Did it get him down? Maybe for a minute, but now, he's back. As he often says, "The game's for life!" Not only is he back to presenting real-deal 'live' blues 4 nights a week every week, he has also recently confirmed his 2021 Red's Old-Timers Blues Fest for Labor Day weekend — Saturday, September 4th.
Here's what he's said so far.
It will again be a FREE outdoor festival on the MLK Stage just down the street from his legendary juke joint. He'll feature 8 blues musicians who are 60 years & older (and he likes) from 11am-7pm — including Cadillac John Nolden (the world's oldest still performing bluesman at 94 years old), Little Joe Ayers, Watermelon Slim, James "Super Chikan" Johnson... and other favorites. He'll have some food vendors set up and still feature nighttime music at his club that Wed/Fri/Sat/Sun. Watch for more details at:
www.facebook.com/redsoldtimersbluesfestival
www.facebook.com/events/990381055041456
  
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SOUNDS AROUND TOWN: Live blues 365 days a year in blues-storic Clarksdale, Mississippi.
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Read about THE BLACK KEYS Mississippi tribute... and much more in new DELTA MAGAZINE.
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Plan now for Clarksdale's 2021 MISSISSIPPI DELTA TENNESSEE WILLIAMS FESTIVAL...
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CLARKSDALE, MS – The Mississippi Delta Tennessee Williams Festival (MDTWF) is excited to announce 2021 dates and a preview of this year’s programming.
A hybrid in-person/online event will be presented Thursday-Saturday October 14th, 15th and 16th with in-person presentations outdoors on the grounds of the Cutrer Mansion broadcast over the festival’s streaming platforms available for all programming.
“The festival is founded on accessibility and committed to offering high quality events to all interested free of charge,” shared Festival Artistic Director, Dr. Matt Foss.
Using Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire as a gathering point for discussions of the culture, history and people of the Mississippi Delta, this year’s festival features scholarly presentations on minority and underrepresented voices and artists of the area, panels and presentations on the immigrant experience and performances of select scenes from the play by our professional ensemble.
An in-person/online schedule with access information to the festival streams will be announced later this summer.
For more information, contact Jen Waller at 662-645-3555 or jwaller@coahomacc.edu.
 
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MISSISSIPPI celebrates blues with a half dozen museums. CHICAGO? A writer investigates.
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Clarksdale, Mississippi's "Future of the Blues" CHRISTONE "KINGFISH" INGRAM updates!
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Visit Clarksdale & the Delta, and take a SHARED EXPERIENCE with SharedExperiencesUSA.com...
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Hardworking Clarksdale-transplant Colleen Buyers is best known for her regular Live From Clarksdale pandemic live-streams. Her LFC project helped to keep the blues alive at the crossroads during the months when in-person events were impossible or (later) very challenging. Well, even as she continues LiveFromClarksdale.org, scaling back to live-streams three days a week, Colleen is relaunching her other big Delta project: Shared Experiences.
2021 DELTA EXPERIENCES on the roster so far, include... Experience Black History: a walk along MLK. Through A Lens: the downtown photo-tour. Experience Helena: distillery tours. Deak Harp sings the blues. Harmonica lessons from Deak Harp. Volunteer Experience at Delta Diaper Bank. Details at sharedexperiencesusa.com. Take a look, and make your next visit to Clarksdale and the Mississippi Delta an even richer experience.
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