We left Alabama and headed west to Clarksdale, Mississippi (home of the Delta Blues) where we begin our travel south along Highway 61.
“For decades, Clarksdale has been more famous for the musicians who left than for anyone who stayed. The electric blues masters Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker, the rhythm and blues pioneer Ike Turner and the soul man Sam Cooke are just a few of the refugees who made a hard turn onto Highway 61 north and never looked back. They sought greater opportunity, but also were fleeing poverty and the Jim Crow South. Want and hardship still haunt Clarksdale — its shotgun shacks are not for nostalgic show. The three highway signs mark the mythic crossroads where, it is said, the bluesman Robert Johnson sold his soul to ol’ Scratch in exchange for a few otherworldly guitar licks. Clarksdale’s downtown is just a few square blocks — fine for a city of about 20,000 — but its legend, as a kiln for shaping the blues, resonates worldwide.” Robert Gordon, NYTimes.
Every year, musicians make the pilgrimage to Clarksdale – to perform, to reflect, and to pay homage to the performers that defined blues music throughout the world. Regrettably, we didn’t time our visit to be in town for the famous Clarksdale Juke Joint Festival which ran from April 12-15, 2018 and featured over 100 blues acts.
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