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CAT HEAD UPDATE NEWSLETTER
APRIL 2024 EDITION
"All the blues that's fit to print"
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We remember "Juke Joint King" Red Paden, preview Juke Joint Festival, review Clarksdale Film & Music Festival, recap FL blues caravan and much more!
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I'm not gonna lie. Losing our Clarksdale friend and blues icon "Big" Red Paden (Red's Lounge / Red's Old-Timers Blues Fest) was/is tough. I personally spent hundreds of hours of mispent adulthood bathed in the dim red lights of his brick blues bunker. And we talked almost daily by phone. Red's passing is a hole the blues universe that can never be fully filled. Still, we must move forward, keeping his legend and legacy alive. His son Orlando is doing just that. Stay tuned to my Music Calendar (https://www.cathead.biz/music-calendar) for details on weekly music, but in the meantime, don't miss the rockin' re-opening of world-famous Red's Lounge during Juke Joint Festival Week. Red and his juke joint were, of course, a major inspiration behind the founding of JJF, so it promises to be a heck of a week, y'all:
Tues., 4/9 - 7pm - Watermelon Slim
Wed., 4/10 - 7pm - Frank "Guitar" Rimmer
Thurs., 4/11 - 7pm - Carlos Elliot, Bobby Gentillo & Friends "RL Boyce Tribute"
Fri., 4/12 - 8pm - Robert Kimbrough Sr. Blues Connection
Sat., 4/13 - 6pm till - JJF Wristband venue w/6pm Little Willie Farmer, 7:30pm Beverly Davis & 9pm Big A & Allstars!
Sun., 4/14 - 7pm - Annual Post-JJF Blues Jam hosted by Big A & Allstars.
Mon., 4/15 - 7pm - Lucious Spiller
Various Red's tributes, photos and such follow in this edition of the CAT HEAD UPDATE, including a free link to the lovely New York Times obituary. Also, please note that Orlando Paden has set up a GO FUND ME to raise money for this year's Red's Old-Timers Blues Fest at GoFundMe.com/f/reds-oldtimers-festival. Please check it out, and support it if you can.
Plan your PILGRIMAGE to Clarksdale, Mississippi:
MUSIC CALENDAR: www.cathead.biz/music-calendar.
TOURISM LODGING & APPS: VisitClarksdale.com.
CROSSROADS DELTA BLUES HOUR (my radio show): jazz88.org.
Shop CAT HEAD—Mississippi's blues store in Clarksdale since 2002—Mon-Sat 11am-5pm & Sun 11-3. (Plus extended hours during big festival weekends like JJF.) WEB STORE open 24/7 at www.cathead.biz.
THANKS for an amazing 22 years in Clarksdale,
Roger Stolle (and Ayler Pug)
A few recent PHOTOS:
- Yes. It snows in Clarksdale. This storm was a doozy that dipped to 4 degrees and closed many businesses for a couple days during IBC week in late January.
- The final scene in the original "Planet of the Apes"?! Nope. Just a normal Ayler Pug walk near the banks of the Sunflower River in Clarksdale.
- Our new (as of 2024) digital billboard for JJF. Uh... I only WISH we had that many days left to work on the festival. It's almost here! (Get your wristbands ASAP. Seriously.)
Finally... a sweet pic that Alabama blues woman Debbie Bond sent me from a road-trip to Gip's Place juke (Bessemer, AL) that Red Paden, our buddy Don Gentry and I took perhaps a decade ago. We also took Red down to Teddy's Juke Joint in Zachary, LA, once. "Good times!"
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Clarksdale, Mississippi's blues and juke joint legend "BIG" RED PADEN passes into history...
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Red is a man who will not soon be forgotten. He made an enormous impact on the blues music and tourism scene here and was a friend (and beacon) to many a blues fan from all around the globe. A "Keeping The Blues Alive" award recipient, that simple statement could well be his epitaph. As one might imagine his funeral and jam tribute included a who's who of players who spent many a late night on the repurposed casino carpet remnant, under the red lights of this home-away-from-home—including Kingfish, Lucious Spiller, Watermelon Slim, Big T and others. Below are links to the official New York Times obit as well as another NYT flashback by a couple travel writers visiting the remaining juke joint circuit during Juke Joint Festival week in 2013—culiminating with a strong dose of blues at Red's. And two additional articles in Spin Magazine and United Airlines' Hemphispheres that include Red's. Then, you'll see a snapshot of my Red tribute in the new Delta Magazine, including pics by Lou Bopp and Rory Doyle. Finally... you'll find my full-length tribute (some of which was harvested for the magazine piece) to my often stubborn—but always caring and true—friend. Through the years, we traveled to other jukes like Gip's and Teddy's, occasionally lunched over at The Dining Room (a soul food joint in Marks, MS, that Jimmy "Duck" Holmes' sister used to run) and talked nearly every day by phone. During the first few years I lived in Clarksdale, I helped him work the door or the bar on many a Saturday night (ha... still paying my cover and buying my own drinks, of course!) and introduced him to "new" soon-to-be-regulars like T-Model Ford, Terry "Harmonica" Bean and Robert Belfour. Those were some crazy nights. Crazy. Man... I should probably stop right there with that, except to say that I wouldn't trade 'em for anything.
NEW YORK TIMES OBITUARY ON RED PADEN: Free access at https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/12/arts/music/red-paden-dead.html?unlocked_article_code=1.ZU0.MRQb.gmkD0DFVUHf3&smid=url-share.
ALSO, check out the new website that Red's son Orlando put up: www.redpaden.com
BONUS #1... NYT JUKE JOINT ARTICLE FROM 2013: Free access at https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/19/travel/driving-the-juke-joint-trail.html?unlocked_article_code=1.ak0.jMof.Q6737TcnGs4o&smid=url-share.
BONUS #2... SPIN MAGAZINE PANDEMIC ARTICLE that I wrote in January 2021... before we knew if Red's would survive to juke again... https://www.spin.com/2021/02/the-last-remaining-juke-joints-in-america/
BONUS #3... UNITED AIRLINES INFLIGHT MAG (2015) on Juke Fest, Bilbo Walker, Red's, etc.: https://issuu.com/ahmedaamir/docs/july_2015_hemispheres_magazine
(See the new Delta Magazine for the article above. Order or subscribe at deltamagazine.com. Please note my tribute includes some material from my web tribute below.)
CAT HEAD says thanks and farewell:
RED PADEN (1956-2023) - "King of the Juke Joint Runners."
"The game is for life. Whatever you do in this lifetime is going to follow you. You can't get away from your trail. Somebody's gonna know what you done. So that's for life. That's till the day you die. And when you're dead, somebody's gonna be able to speak about that there." - Red Paden.
On the morning of December 30, 2023, an absolute titan of Mississippi blues and Clarksdale tourism passed into the history books—Cornelius "Red" Paden of Red's Lounge (and Red's Old-Timers Blues Fest) fame.
If you didn't know Red or never made it to his juke joint, then you may see overstatement in the words above. But there is none.
Red and his club were legendary—both nationally and internationally. It's no wonder that he was honored with the Sunflower River Blues Association’s Early Wright Award, Juke Joint Festival's Miss Sarah Award and The Blues Foundation’s Keeping the Blues Alive Award. It's no wonder that global media regularly called—including 60 Minutes (CBS), PBS NewsHour, NPR, CNN, BBC, The New York Times, The Economist, Los Angeles Times, Southern Living, Garden & Gun, Travel+Leisure, AAA Magazine, SPIN Magazine, Living Blues Magazine, Blues Music Magazine, Big City Blues Magazine and beyond. And it's no wonder that his visitors included such notables as Robert Plant, Morgan Freeman, Dan Akroyd, Jessica Lange, Ty Pennington, Anthony Bourdain, Andrew Zimmern, Steven Segal and many others—including other legendary juke joint owners like Henry "Gip" Gipson, Teddy Johnson and Willie "Po Monkey" Seaberry
So what made the person and his place so special? Red Paden once told TV personality Ty Pennington that folks came to him for a “walk on the wild side.” And his place? Well, Red's Lounge was/is one of the very last long-running, live-music juke joints on earth.
So what is a "juke joint"? The simple(ish) answer? It's a traditional, African-American owned blues club, usually housed in a repurposed building, often "across the tracks" or outside the city limits. It's like a house party, but the proprietor doesn't trust you to visit his actual house. So he has this other place. His home away from home. His party place. Of course, back in the day, some juke joints really were a "walk on the wild side"—with gambling, moonshine and carrying on. Today? As the self-proclaimed "King of the Juke Joint Runners" himself once explained, "There used to be lots of cuttin' and shootin'. Now, it's like goin' to church."
And he would know.
Red spent a lifetime in the juke joint business. In his youth, he helped relatives with blues parties. Prior to the current 395 Sunflower Avenue location in downtown Clarksdale, Red ran a smaller juke joint (likely called The Tin Top) around the corner on Fourth Street (now Martin Luther King Drive). He also ran a late-night joint out in the countryside, just off Highway 6, called Red Wine for several years. But it was his final, long-running Red's Lounge juke that truly struck the loudest chord with fans.
Despite trends in disco, rock and hip-hop, despite downtrends in the economy, despite competition from corporate casinos, despite major building repairs (or, uh... not), and despite the passing of many of his friends, musicians and customers, Red soldiered on. He fought the good fight—the blues fight—“backed by the river and fronted by the grave.”
That quote was a favorite of Red’s. It provides both the geography of his juke joint (which is, indeed, backed by the Sunflower River and fronted by Grange Cemetery) and a veiled threat to potential troublemakers who he sometimes offered to add his “undertaker’s list.” For Red, the best defense was always a good offense. But he always delivered it with a diffusing sense of humor.
When folks asked why he didn’t renovate his place to compete with clean, contemporary establishments, he simply said, “It is what it is.” Or, as he explained in the 2012 film We Juke Up in Here!, “In my heart, I know I'm the only real 'blues man' in this town. And the people who know about blues know this, too. So, you know, I don't have to pretend.”
Some said he was stubborn. And he was. ("It's my way, or it's no damn way!," he once told a West Hollywood reality TV show producer.) But for me, as a former brand manager and ad man, what appeared to be pure stubbornness on the surface was actually a potent mix of stubborness and savvy on par with the CEOs of Apple or Nike. It was Branding 101: Create a unique or unusual product, find a customer for that product and keep a consistent message (look, feel, attitude) in the face of all competition. Differentiate, don’t duplicate. Don’t water down your brand or try to be something that you are not. Stay true to self. Be authentic. And if Red was anything. Lord knows... he was authentic!
"A lot of these younger people that's coming up, they into the fast money. I'm moving at my own pace. Lot of the older guys have told me that if you get to moving too fast, you weren't going to be here so long. And so I'm trying to stay." - Red Paden.
In recent years, Red did his best to run live blues music at his club from Wednesday through Sunday night—every week, year round. Sometimes to packed crowds, often to just a handful of the most devoted.
His place was so beloved by musicians that many wrote songs about it—from "Big" Jack Johnson and Terry "Big T" Williams to Louis "Gearshifter" Youngblood and Charlie Musselwhite. The list of blues musicians who played his club through the decades is too long to fully list, but it included the folks above as well as James "Super Chikan" Johnson, Robert "Bilbo" Walker, Wesley "Junebug" Jefferson, Miss Gladys, Josh "Razorblade" Stewart, Foster "Mr. Tater" Wiley, "Cadillac" John Nolden, "Big" George Brock, Robert "Wolfman" Belfour, James "T-Model" Ford, Terry "Harmonica" Bean, "Mr. Johnnie" Billington, R.L. Boyce, Anthony "Big A" Sherrod, Lucious Spiller, Christone "Kingfish" Ingram, Jimmy "Duck" Holmes, Duwayne & Garry Burnside, David & Robert Kimbrough, Peggy "Lady Trucker" Hemphill, Elmo Williams, Hezekiah Early, Robert "Lil' Poochie" Watson, Frank "Guitar" Rimmer, Australia "Honey Bee" Jones and many more.
Red's Lounge was a favorite for local birthday parties, and it was where everyone gathered to celebrate musicians who had moved on up to the big blues band in the sky. This Saturday night, the musical celebration of life will be for Mr. Red Paden himself. Stay tuned for more details on that as well as the official funeral arrangements from his loving son, Orlando.
In closing, I just want to thank Red for all of those long nights in the juke joint trenches, really and truly keeping the blues alive—regardless of the profits that walked (or often didn't walk) through the door. He loved to talk about money, but the truth was that he did all this for a love of the music and the people. And as he might say, "That's for DAMN sure!!"
Goodbye, Red. I will think of you daily. - Roger
IMAGES:
- Inaugural JJF poster, featuring Red's Lounge (2004).
- "Remembering Red..." collage from his son Orlando.
- Art of Big A, Bilbo, Red & Dingo by Nicki Wambolt
- Red on the dance floor in 1990 by Erik Lindahl.
- Red reading Il Blues magazine by Marino Grandi.
- Not sure the details of Red and Big Jim shouting inside the front door.
- Hammer photo (during filming of We Juke Up in Here) by Lou Bopp.
- Photo of Red courtesy of NPR (when Melissa Block visited).
- Rip Lee Pryor, Gearshifter, me, Leo Welch & Red at King Biscuit.
- Lou Bopp pic of Red on Lamar tribute billboard at the Crossroads.
- Lou pic of Terry Bean, Jeff Konkel, me, Red & Damien Blaylock.
- Lou pic of Red sitting out front of his blues kingdom
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THANKS for record sales of Pre-Sale Sat-Night JJF Wristbands! The world is coming to Clarksdale...
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In the past 21 years, the JUKE JOINT FESTIVAL 501c3 nonprofit has never sold Sat-night Pre-sale Wristbands this quickly. (These help pay for a big chunk of the 100+ music performances at JJF) So far, at least 47 U.S. states will be represented as well as at least 13 international countries. Thanks for that! Don't risk another sellout (or wait for the price to go up—'cause it will). Buy JJF wristbands now at www.jukejointfestival.com and pick them up when you arrive. Details online. JJF Saturday night on April 13th is going to be epic with around 36 acts at 22 wristband venues (with 24 stages)—starting as early as 6pm and running as late as 1am. The full, crazy-cool lineup of Sat-night acts is on the festival website, www.jukejointfestival.com... including Super Chikan, Rev Peyton's Big Damn Band, Anthony "Big A" Sherrod, Watermelon Slim, Duwayne & Garry Burnside, Eden Brent, Lucious Spiller, Terry "Harmonica" Bean, Robert Kimbrough Sr., Australia "Honey Bee" Jones, Lightnin' Malcolm, Jimbo Mathus, Sean "Bad" Apple, Beverly Davis, Deak Harp, Terry "Big T" Williams & Lady Gladys, Little Willie Farmer, Kenny Brown, CRUZ The Dame, Johnny Rawls and many more!
Plus, JJF week also offers 16 FREE Saturday daytime stages with nearly 100 FREE performances. Of course, Related JJF Events rock our little town from Thur-Sun, April 11-14, 2024—including the FREE Thursday Kickoff concert, special FREE Friday happenings (including Charlie Musselwhite & Kirk Fletcher at New Roxy!) and Sunday's FREE Cat Head Mini Blues Fest. Literally hundreds of blues shows and related events are listed in the schedules at www.jukejointfestival.com. Plus, when you pick up your Sat-night Wristbands, we'll give you a free "phonebook" of an event program with all of the printed schedules, maps and more.
"WHERE CAN I STAY?" LODGING INFO:
- Find ideas for lodging at https://jukejointfestival.com/lodging_2024.php.
- Can't stay in town? Stay nearby in Lula, Helena, Cleveland, Batesville or Tunica. Those visitor websites are linked in the JJF lodging link above.
- Do you have a tent, camper or RV? Then, stay downtown. Reserve tent space (on the banks of the Sunflower River) or camper/RV Parking Lot (boondocking at TWO downtown locations this year) reservations ASAP via the links and information at https://jukejointfestival.com/rv_form.php.
We hope y'all can make it, but if not... Clarksdale (of course) still features "live" blues 7 nights a week (plus many days) year round. Plan your pilgrimage to Clarksdale today via Visit Clarksdale at VisitClarksdale.com.
       
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Our 14th CLARKSDALE FILM & MUSIC FESTIVAL featured world-premieres, special guests and more.
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This year's 14th CLARKSDALE FILM & MUSIC FESTIVAL was amazing thanks to our fabulous filmmakers, musicians, sponsors, venue and audience (that came from all around the globe). Our main "pop movie theater" venue this year was Stone Pony's Tack Room (really perfect!) with Sunday afternoon music at Bluesberry Cafe (after their normal "Blues Breakfast"). Film fest highlights? Wow... too many to mention... but they included Jimbo Mathus' Charley Patton art film world-premiere, our Canadian filmmakers world-premiering their new Super Chikan documentary here, the Brazilian duo who screened their African Reasons film with us on the way to LA and NY, the rarely seen new Slim Harpo film, Augusta Palmer's amazing The Blues Society film featuring vintage Memphis Country Blues Festival footage... and more.
"Live" blues performances over the weekend included Super Chikan, Jimbo Mathus, Australia "Honey Bee" Jones, Sean "Bad" Apple and Watermelon Slim. Special guests included not just our movies' filmmakers but also Charlie (and Henri and Layla) Musselwhite! It really was fabulous. Check out the full film/music lineup at clarksdalefilmfestival.com.
Special supporter thanks to Visit Clarksdale, Clarksdale Public Utilities, City of Clarksdale, Southern Bancorp, Stone Pony and everyone who bought a ticket. Also, a big thanks to filmmaker Nolan Dean for his technical expertise behind the scenes. And a personal MEGA THANKS to Nan, Jeanie and our incredible Clarksdale Downtown Development Association team! Plan now for our 15th fest: Jan 24-26, 2025; clarksdalefilmfestival.com.
 
    
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CAT HEAD STORE is open daily at 11am and ONLINE NOW with tees, hats, books, music & more!
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TONS of new arrivals and restocks, y'all! Check us out online now at www.cathead.biz plus in-store Mon-Sat 11am-5pm and Sunday 11am-3pm. Your support has kept CAT HEAD—Mississippi's blues store in Clarksdale since 2002—rockin' and rollin' for 22 years, and we truly appreciate it. Check out our latest tees, hats, books, music, art and more. CAT HEAD mails almost anything, almost anywhere. You'll see shipping cost at checkout.
             
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BIG A brought Clarksdale to Fort Myers in February thanks to FGCU (and at least one friendly alligator)...
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VISIT CLARKSDALE, Mississippi, for JJF... and come back for all these other annual events...
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2024 CLARKSDALE FESTIVAL & SPECIAL EVENTS:
- Thurs-Sun, 4/11-14, 2024 - 21st annual Juke Joint Festival & Related Events w/100 more blues acts; our biggest festival - www.jukejointfestival.com
- Sun, 4/14, 2024 - Cat Head 22nd Anniversary Mini Blues Fest (post-JJF), www.cathead.biz
- Sat, 5/11, 2024 - 14th Clarksdale Caravan Music Fest (Cat Head/Bluesberry/Bad Apple Blues Club) - www.clarksdalecaravan.com
- Sat, 5/18, 2024 - 3rd anniversary Women In Blues festival - www.womeninblues.org
- Fri-Sat, 5/24-25, 2024 - Ground Zero Blues Club anniversary weekend of daytime/nighttime blues! - groundzerobluesclub.com.
- Sat, 5/25, 2024 - Deak's Harmonica Block Party returns! Info to come.
- Fri-Sun, 8/9-11, 2024 - Cat Head 22nd Anniversary Weekend, www.cathead.biz.
- Sat, 8/31, 2024 - 6th Red's Old-Timers Blues Fest (MLK Park Stage) - www.cathead.biz.
- Thurs-Sat, 10/9-12, 2024 - near Clarksdale, MS, in HELENA, AR - King Biscuit Blues Festival & Symposium, kingbiscuitfestival.com
- 10/13, 2024 - Cat Head Mini Blues Fest (post-Biscuit Sunday) - www.cathead.biz.
- 10/13, 2024 - Super Blues Sunday: Tentatively including... Cat Head Mini Blues Fest (9am), Bluesberry Cafe Blues Breakfast (10am), Delta Blues Museum special hours (noon), Ground Zero Blues Club blues brunch (11am), Hopson Commissary/Shack Up Inn's Pinetop Perkins Celebration (3pm)... plus music at Levon's, Hooker Grocer, Red's Lounge, Bad Apple Blues Club and more!
- 10/17-20, 2024 - Deep Blues Fest (official and related blues & roots music events), www.deepbluesfest.com
- Watch this space for (hopefully) KINGFISH "homecoming" shows in December!
- 12/31, 2024 - Celebrate New Year's at the Crossroads - multiple shows around town!
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Go to MUSIC CALENDAR at www.cathead.biz, and then SCROLL DOWN for full list of upcoming music.
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Sounds Around Town is simply a weekly snapshot of Clarksdale's 365 music and festival scene. Ask for it at your hotel. Please go to https://www.cathead.biz/music-calendar, hit "refresh" to ensure the latest update... and then SCROLL PAST the weekly ad till you get to the full monthly listing Oh, before that, you'll see our list of annual festivals, of course. Then, go to https://www.visitclarksdale.com/stay-all and find your unique lodging—from an award-winning hostel and luxury downtown lofts to a 63-room Hampton Inn and something the world calls "The Shack Up" and everything in-between.
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Historic 'MISSISSIPPI' JOHN HURT MUSEUM burns to the ground. The story, and how you can help...
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Check out my latest KSDS "Crossroads Delta Blues Hour" radio shows, y'all! Real-deal blues and info...
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For a year and a half now, I've been doing my weekly radio show from my adopted hometown of 22 years—Clarksdale, Mississippi. Sure, you can listen to it from anywhere via the world wide web ("live" or via the archive show list). But it is actually broadcast by my friends at KSDS 88.3FM in San Diego, California. Pretty cool, huh? Recent episode themes have included a tribute to Red Paden, road-trips down the Mississippi Blues Trail, March blues birthdays, previews of Juke Joint Festival... and more.
Listen 'live' Saturdays at jazz88.org (5pm PT, 7pm CT, 8pm ET). Hear past episodes any time at www.jazz88.org/programs/Crossroads_Delta_Blues_Hour.
ALSO: If you are already a fan of the show (or KSDS), please consider donating a few bucks during the spring pledge drive. Details online.
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Coming for Juke Joint Festival? Do I have to buy a JJF SAT-NIGHT WRISTBAND? How do they work?
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"How do the Juke Fest wristbands work?" One glorious night per year, a single wristband gets you into all of Clarksdale, Mississippi's official Juke Joint Festival nighttime venues—blues clubs, juke joints, restaurants and more—without separate cover charges or fee. How many venues? 22. How many "stages"? 24. How many acts. Right around 36. Pre-sale Sat-night JJF Wristbands and details are online now at www.jukejointfestival.com.
"Will there be shuttle buses on Saturday night this year?" Most venues you can just walk between, but if you want to go from, say, Hambone (on E 2nd St) to Red's (at Sunflower & MLK), or if you want to go from a Ground Zero to a Hopson, your wristband also gains you access to our 3 shuttle buses that will be rotating all evening—starting/ending at the major non-downtown hotels and the picking up/dropping off at 3 bus stops downtown as well as out at Hopson/Shacks. Details online.
"Can I just pay a cover charge at one club and not buy a wristband?" Nope. One night a year our Clarksdale (Sat., April 13th, this year) our best local venues and the JJF nonprofit work together to offer this one-of-a-kind, famous-the-world-over Juke Joint Crawl. Buy a wristband and A) enjoy the fun and B) support the festival... its musicians... and its venues. Your wristband—along with JJF's amazing partners and sponsors—helps to pay for 3 dozen music acts, 3 shuttle buses, dozens of security personnel, marketing expenses, festival supplies and more. Remember, the official JJF DAYTIME events Thurs/Fri/Sat/Sun are FREE. Saturday NIGHTTIME, JJF needs your help... and rewards you with what has been described by many as a "life-changing experience" or "the best night of the year." Beat another possible sellout, support the festival we love and save a few bucks... BUY PRE-SALE NOW at www.jukejointfestival.com. Details online.
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Long-time blues photographer, music promoter and all-around character, DICK WATERMAN... R.I.P.
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We were all very saddened to hear of the passing of a true blues man over the film festival weekend back in January—our friend and inspiration, Mr. Dick Waterman.He was featured at our Clarksdale Film & Music Festival 6 or 7 years ago, when we screened Two Trains Runnin'. Just outside the doors of that year's pop-up theater on Third Street was Mr. Waterman's honorary Clarksdale Arts & Culture District banner (See online banner image/story at https://www.cityofclarksdale.org/artists/waterman-2/).I met Mr. Waterman back in the 1990s as a blues-fan tourist, so I was thrilled when he came over to help dedicate the Son House Clarksdale Walk of Fame marker in my CAT HEAD sidewalk, around 19 years ago. He spoke in his usual dramatic way that day, retelling the story of coming to the Delta during Mississippi's tumultuous Freedom Summer (1964) in search of a ghost called Son House—only to find the bluesman himself much closer to home in Rochester, NY, instead.Mr. Waterman was a tireless blues promoter, photographer and general personality (aka "real character"). He will be missed by all. RIP.His photos: dickwaterman.comBio/interview: https://www.americanbluesscene.com/2019/06/dick-waterman-blues-savior
IMAGES BELOW:
- iconic 1960s rediscovery-era pic of John Hurt/Skip James
- Mr. Waterman's Clarksdale Arts & Culture District 'marker'
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THANKS to the Clarksdale Rotary Club (incl. Demetria Jackson & Shelley Ritter, shown) for the opportunity to ramble on about two great loves—Clarksdale and Juke Joint Festival—at last week's meeting! (I'm fairly sure that no one fell asleep.) #jukejointfestival #visitclarksdale
 
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Fan of Live From Clarksdale, Shared Experiences or Women In Blues? Then, thank COLLEEN BUYERS...
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Colleen is another driving force for good things in Clarksdale and the Mississippi Delta. She came to us from Oakland, CA, (and other places, really) to initially create the fabulous FREE Audio Walking Tour that Visit Clarksdale tourism includes on the back of our tourism maps... but then she went on to found SharedExperiencesUSA.com and LiveFromClarksdale.org and WomenInBlues.org (festival), etc. (Her live-stream efforts—with the support of VisitClarksdale.com—keep Clarksdale's music alive 365 during darkest days of the pandemic, y'all. Check out her feature in Delta Business Journal at https://deltabusinessjournal.com/colleen-buyers/.
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Clarksdale blues player PRESTON RUMBAUGH spills the beans on "Three Song Stories" podcast...
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This episode of the super-cool WGCU podcast "Three Song Stories" features Clarksdale-based blues bassist/guitarist/singer, recorded during our recent Big A tour to FGCU in Fort Myers. Preston has decades of music stories, y'all... Enjoy! HEAR NOW AT: https://news.wgcu.org/show/three-song-stories/2024-03-16/preston-rumbaugh.
WGCU DESCRIPTION: Preston Rumbaugh is a roots-music veteran now based in Clarksdale, Mississippi — known as the Home of the Blues because blues music basically originated there — where he is a member of the Big A & the Allstars blues trio. He also leads his own blues band that features Big A & the Allstars members Anthony "Big A" Sherrod and Lee Williams, and he plays solo gigs.
Preston hails originally from what’s referred to as “Old Nashville”, where he played alongside music legends like Scotty Moore, Dale Watson, Lucinda Williams, Ronnie Hawkins and many others.
As a young musician, Preston toured domestically and internationally with the Scottish rockabilly band The Shakin' Pyramids. In the 2000s, he backed Memphis recording artist John Paul Keith before he decided to settle in Clarksdale to play blues exclusively.
Since making the move, Preston has backed a who's who of blues legends including Robert "Bilbo" Walker, Big George Brock, and Terry "Big T" Williams, and he's a regular at festivals like the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale and venues like Ground Zero Blues Club.
Click https://news.wgcu.org/show/three-song-stories/2024-03-16/preston-rumbaugh OR https://threesongstories.podbean.com/e/episode-155-roger-stolle-3ss-on-the-road/ here to listen to our episode with Roger Stolle, owner of Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art in Clarksdale, recorded in February of 2021.
WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.
 
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Mississippi Public Broadcasting's NEXT STOP MISSISSIPPI is coming to Juke Joint Festival...
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Join MPB's Germaine Flood, Visit Mississippi's Kamel King and more for two very special "live" in-person broadcasts at...
COLLECTIVE SEED & SUPPLY (145 Delta Ave) on FRIDAY, APRIL 12TH as part of Juke Joint Festival Weekend:
- 9:00 am - Mississippi Public Broadcasting Gestalt Gardner
- 10:00 am - Mississippi Public Broadcasting "Next Stop Mississippi" radio show
More info at mpbonline.org.
"Next Stop Mississippi is your on-air source for information about upcoming events and attractions across the state. Get to know the real Mississippi! Each week the show's hosts, Kamel King (Visit Mississippi) and Germaine Flood highlight well-known and unknown places in Mississippi with the best food, parks, music and arts."
HERE MY NEXT STOP MS 'PREVIEW' CALL-IN from last Friday at: http://nextstopms.mpbonline.org/episodes/next-stop-ms-juke-joint-festival-2024-epic-funk-brass-band
 
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THANKS for reading! Now, visit Clarksdale for a dose of blues and a pet of the pug at CAT HEAD...
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Ayler Pug is waiting to see y'all! Check out her Clarksdale Music Calendar (with "live" blues 365 and over a dozen annual festivals) at https://www.cathead.biz/music-calendar... and come see us in the "Land Where Blues Began"...
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