The Delta Blues Trail

We continued our pilgrimage to the Holy Sites of the Blues—with a stop at the Delta Blues Museum. They wouldn’t allow photos- but we could bring our dog in…go figure. The museum is a collection of guitars, harmonicas, posters, costumes and photos of the great blues artists. They’ve saved Muddy Water’s cabin from the Stovall Plantation and restored the cabin to its original outer appearance.

Muddy Waters cabin- Photo courtesy of Flickr

A scrap of the newspaper used as wallpaper was saved and framed. Quotes from Muddy line the walls: “When you say blues, you know what the average guy is looking for –half-slouching, raggedy, bottle of wine in your pocket. I wasn’t that kind of blues singer. I stayed sharp…They might say I can’t play or can’t sing, but damn it, they’ll say I’m a gentleman”.

Following Highway 49 south out of Clarksdale, past miles of cotton fields, you arrive in Tutwiler. Another almost deserted one road town, its claim to fame is the “Birthplace of the Blues” (one of many towns claiming the moniker).

The story goes that, in 1903, W.C. Handy was waiting for a train in Tutweiler. He saw a man, “a lean, loose-jointed Negro plunking a guitar. His clothes were rags, his feet poked out of his shoes. His face had on it some of the sadness of the ages. As he played, he pressed a knife on the strings…and the effect was unforgettable”. The man was singing a song about ‘goin’where the Southern meets the Dog”. (This referred to a point where the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley railroad (the Yellow Dog) crossed the Southern Railroad). W.C. Handy had discovered the blues!

The murals in Railroad Park depict this chance meeting and scenes of the town’s history. One of the murals provides a map to Tutweiler’s other claim to fame -- the grave of Sonny Boy Williamson II. (See below)

Following 2nd Avenue through “town” leads you to a small graveyard. Near the back is the grave of Sonny Boy. Fans leave beer cans, whiskey bottles and harmonicas as tribute to this blues legend.

Driving out of Tutweiler, we came across a huge correctional facility—we thought we had passed the infamous Parchman Penitentiary (a state pen), but it was a county facility. About 5 miles further on, the State had their own facility. How is it possible that in this sparsely populated area they need two huge penitentiaries. We eventually did drive by Parchman, known for it’s famous “residents”—Sonny Boy Williamson, Elvis Presley’s father, Son House.

“The Midnight Special” (the old Creedence Clearwater song -an original Leadbelly song) was about the train that brought weekend visitors up from New Orleans.

On the road to Cleveland, you pass by Dockery Farms.

From the road you can see the old cotton gin, the commissary and the Baptist Church for the plantation workers. Charley Patton (“King of the Delta Blues”) was one of the workers here.

Just north of Cleveland, outside the town of Merigold, we were on a mission- to find the last of the traditional juke joints- Po Monkeys.

Down a dirt road, following a creek, we finally came upon this ramshackle building- a true classic. On Thursday nights, the DJ, Dr. Tissue, plays from 8PM-2PM.

It was time to head north-with a stop at the Clarksdale Lebanese restaurant and a talk with the owner. He was amazed to find that we’d been to his home town in Lebanon. We got our stuffed kibbe, grape leaves and hummus and decided to stop for a glass of wine at the Hopson Plantation Commissary.

Inside the Commissary- Elvis will never leave this building!

We had a great conversation with the bartender/local blues historian, Robert Birdsong. He entertained us with stories about Clarksdale history and encounters with the blues greats. (He knew Ike Turner and told us that he wasn’t anywhere as bad as he was portrayed in the movie, “What’s Love Got to do with it”.)


They even have the last of the original "Bluesmobiles" in their parking lot.

Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit! (courtesy of Paula Deen)

On the recommendation of the Cajuns, we had to visit the “casina” (casino, for those of us non-Cajuns), lose a bit of money in the slots (I had to play Super Jackpot Party),

and, although we hate buffets- we had to try the Paula Deen Buffet at Harrah’s. $19.95 for all you can eat was probably a bargain for most of our fellow diners who went back for multiple heaping plates of B-Bqued meat, smoked meat and hoe cakes. The servers wore shirts proudly claiming, “Our hoes are free”. And, of course, there was the full array of “Southern vegetables” - cabbage, boiled okra, yams, mashed potatoes, squash, purple hull peas, butter beans, northern beans, lima beans, green beans, coleslaw, corn, sweet peas, black-eyed peas, greens, and two of the favorite soul food "vegetable," macaroni and cheese. Yes, in the south, mac and cheese is a vegetable. What’s not to love? And the desserts—gooey butter cake- check out the recipe- only 2 sticks of butter and a box of powdered sugar!

Gooey Butter Cakes.
· Cake
· 1 (18.25-ounce) box yellow cake mix
· 1 egg
· 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
· Filling
· 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
· 2 eggs
· 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
· 1 (16-ounce) box confectioners' sugar
· 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13x9x2-inch baking pan.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well. Pat into the bottom of prepared pan and set aside.
3. Still using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth; add eggs and vanilla. Dump in confectioners' sugar and beat well. Reduce speed of mixer and slowly pour in butter. Mix well.
4. Pour filling onto cake mixture and spread evenly. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Don't be afraid to make a judgment call on the cooking time, because oven temperatures can vary. You want the center to be a little gooey, so don't bake it past that point!
5. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares. Just remember that these wonderful little cakes are very, very rich, and a little will go a long way-even for piggies like me!

Cajuns and the Blue and White Donut Tower

John and Brenda left Katie- still in the hospital, but due out on Monday—and they joined us in Tunica for the evening. We heard their tales of the tornado—amazing!

In the morning, we took them to the Blue and White in Tunica. Our waitress- Deborah Kaye- was a real charmer. By the time we left, we knew everyone in the restaurant.

Their local legend, 89 year old Ralph Sharp ,the first crop-duster in Tunica County, posed for us by his photo from the 1949 National Geographic.

Ralph Sharp ,the first crop-duster in Tunica County

Brenda interviewed the 84 year old retired mayor to get the scoop on the casino’s impact on Tunica.

Brenda interviewing the Mayor

John, Brenda, Deborah Kay-our waitress and the Blue and White Donut Tower

After a hearty Blue and White breakfast of 2 eggs, hash browns (or grits), bacon (or sausage), biscuits (or toast), we decided that we had to try the infamous “Blue and White Donut Tower”—two caramelized donuts filled with whipped cream then topped with ice cream and chocolate syrup”.

If that wasn’t enough, the chef, Ike, brought out a sampler of her famous creole sauce. Time for a nap!

Clarksdale – Home of the Delta Blues

“You can’t spend what you ain’t got and you can’t lose what you never had”…..Muddy Waters

Finally- our trip to the home of the Delta Blues, Clarksdale, Mississippi. Muddy Waters lived and worked here, John Lee Hooker was born just outside Clarksdale and Ike Turner and Sam Cooke were born and raised there.

At the intersection of Highway 61 and 49, the “Crossroads are marked with a monument to the place where Robert Johnson supposedly sold his soul to the devil.
"I went to the crossroad Fell down on my knees I went to the crossroad Fell down on my knees Asked the Lord above "Have mercy now, Save poor Bob, if you please"
"Crossroad Blues" - ROBERT JOHNSON

The Sidewalk Scene in the "New World District" - Uncle Jessie's Little Greedy Pig Soul Food!
The Riverside Hotel, originally the GT Thomas Afro-American Hospital where singer Bessie Smith died, opened as a hotel in 1944 and was home to most of the blues musicians traveling to Clarksdale.

The Riverside Hotel

The town still has its share of juke joints. (The term supposedly came from a West African word that survived in the Gullah language spoken by some southern blacks. The word “juke” means wicked and disorderly.” When records became the rage, the term ‘jukebox’ was coined).

"Red's" - juke joint - Out front- a Pig Griller and a Toilet

"Red Top Lounge" Juke Joint
Morgan Freeman has made his mark in town with his own pseudo-juke joint, Ground Zero.
"Ground Zero"

Outside of town, on the Stovall Plantation, was the site of Muddy Water’s home (shack).

Several years ago, the folks from the Hard Rock bought the building and moved it to the Blues Museum in town.
An amazing place, a few miles south, is the Shack Up Inn , located at the Hobson Plantation.

Hopson Plantation- The Commissary

The owner of the Hopson Plantation turned his farm buildings into a commissary where you can get a cold brew and listen to the blues (and spend hours looking at his collection of everything from a complete barbershop and an old post office to old farm machinery). The country’s first cotton crop produced entirely by machine (from planting to bailing) was grown and harvested in 1944 here---Hence, the "Cotton Pickin Blues"

Inside the Commissary- The Bar (above) and the Back Porch (below)

"Ceiling Art"
At the Shack Up Inn next door, you can stay in sharecropper shotgun shacks. Their tag line-- Mississippi's Oldest B & B est. 1998(Bed & Beer)

Check out their photo gallery at: http://www.shackupinn.com/pictures.html

The Shack-Up Inn

TORNADO!!!

Our Cajun friends were heading up to spend the night with us at the "casina" (as they call it--you might know it better as the "casino") in Tunica, MS. They, unfortunately, were driving on 1-55 (about 140 miles south of us) just as the Yazoo City tornado crossed the highway. Our good friends, John and Brenda, only saw the tornado in their rear view mirror--but the other two motorhomes had stopped on the road, and when the tornado came through it tossed one of the coaches on its side--and Katie and Huey's motorhome and tow car were literally lifted in the air- over another car- and thrown into the woods.

Huey and Katie's motorhome

Both motorhome and car were totalled. Amazingly, they were able to crawl out of a window. Katie's seatbelt saved her life--but the pressure from being held in upside down caused a contusion and possibly a hematoma. The other couple wasn't so lucky- she was just coming back to her seat and when the coach was tossed over, she was thrown around the coach and suffered broken ribs and a punctured lung. She's in ICU -but expected to be fine.

Virginia and Anthony's motorhome--tossed on its' side

The news report:

Update: A large,powerful, long-tracking tornado struck Yazoo City, Mississippi just after 12 noon CT on Saturday.Storm spotters and chasers were tracking this "wedge" tornado for about an hour before it tore through Yazoo.The tornado was anywhere from 1/2 to 3/4 of mile in diameter.There is significant damage in Yazoo with multiple structures destroyed.

Cotton Fields, Blues and Casinos

We talked about visiting the Delta Blues Highway for years and finally made it. Driving to Robinsonville and the Harrah’s RV Park, we passed through miles of hot, flat land. The cotton fields go on for miles and seem to reach to the edges of the casinos borders. The “Delta” of the Mississippi River is rich agricultural land—the topsoil averages 132 feet deep—in some places as deep as 350 feet. But, you can understand why the field workers learned to sing the “blues”….back-breaking work in achingly hot weather- with not a speck of shade in sight.

Note that the Horseshoes are upside down....all the luck is draining out!

The area was one of the poorest in the country—until the casinos moved in. They call themselves the “Casino Capital of the South” and claim to be the third largest gaming area in the country. It wasn’t what we expected—thinking “Las Vegas Strip”---instead we found tired looking hotels and casinos spread so far out that it was miles between them. Robinsonville is a town of 4 traffic lights on Highway 61. At each of the lights, you turn off and drive for miles alongside cotton fields to reach a group of casinos.
We took a day to drive south to try to find something of the Delta Blues music scene. In Tunica, about 10 miles south, we stopped at the Blue and White—a local tourist draw – serving typical Southern country cooking—grits, turnip greens and country ham.

We found a flier for the Wild Hog Music Fest and Motorcycle Rally in Helena, Arkansas and we were on our way to Arkansas. Driving through Lula, Mississippi- one of the poorest towns we’ve ever seen— a street of boarded up buildings.

"Downtown Lula"

We crossed the Mississippi River bridge into Arkansas and found ourselves in Helena. Highway 49 heading into town was filled with more closed down businesses and AME Baptist Churches.

Downtown Helena, Arkansas (Note the Buster Brown Shoe sign)

In its’ earlier days, Helena was a hub for dockworkers (and a major port of call for blues singers, bootleggers, gamblers and prostitutes).

Its’ real claim to fame came with the local radio station, KFFA 1630 on your dial, and the radio program called “King Biscuit Time”- the longest running daily blues radio show in the U.S. . Sonny Boy Williamson II hosted the show-sponsored by King Biscuit Flour –“Pass the Biscuits-It’s King Biscuit Time” –“King Biscuit- White….Dainty….Light”.

(Look beyond the truck to see the "King Biscuit Trailer")

Today, “Sunshine” Sonny Payne hosts the daily radio show.

The King Biscuit Hour Studio

You can tell that the town was once a prosperous place- with an active downtown, right on the Mississippi. Today, most of the buildings are empty with faded hand-painted signs – but the motorcycle rally had the town buzzing.

After a un-inspiring lunch at the “Road Kill Grill” (the Cajun Steak sandwich should be avoided at all costs—bad beef with cheese whiz on bad bread…)---the "Road Kill Grill" really does serve "road kill".