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