2009 Trip Summary and Photographs

Trip Summary

 Barely recovered from the 2008 Trip, we decided again to head out to the dusty delta.  It was the same as last year- the despair felt leaving the family, and the prickle of the uncertain vibrating through my body.  This was to be part two – and the final part – of the voyage to the Mississippi delta.  This time, we were to cap off the trip with a stint on Beale street – the one place I had dreamed of seeing for more than 20 years.

Again it was a Thursday night, and this time, I was packed and ready to go.  My mind swirled with the things that were to come.  Graveyards, drugstores, town squares, and history.  We went to the family’s house for a last meal – threw the gear into the car, and we set out for the delta.

13 hours later, we finally arrived in the small town of Avalon, MS.  This was it – and there was nothing here.  We ended up traversing over 100 miles of dusty back roads in search for our goal – the Valley Store, and the grave of Mississippi John Hurt.  Man do the locals fly on those old dirt roads!  Eventually, we found the Valley Store, right in the heart of what seemed to be a desolate town.  The grave was another issue – it looks like the local bow hunters cleared the land where the grave once stood.  I am still unsure if the grave is there anymore.  The only thing we found was poison ivy…

The next few days, we saw it all between Avalon and Clarksdale.  From Rice Miller’s grave, to the Drew Town Square.  We stood in the same spot where Muddy Waters saw Robert Johnson play in Friar’s Point.   We saw Lula, and old blues hub, run down to shambles.  We saw highway 61, James Cotton’s birthplace, and so much more.  We closed our eyes in Drew Square and could hear Charley Patton and Tommy Johnson playing for tips.  We quietly stood in the spot where Muddy Waters used to live, and was first recorded.  We even stayed in an old shotgun house, right on a historic plantation.  We saw the Riverview Hotel, where Bessie Smith died, and hung out at Ground Zero, and Red’s Lounge.  We saw the sites, ate great BBQ, and heard music played as it was intended.  

It was as if we had stepped back in time – the old buildings still stood, and if you closed your eyes, you could almost hear the bluesmen of yesterday chopping heads and playing those blues.  Every place we went - From Son House’s old stomping grounds, all the way  to the lobby of the Peabody hotel – we felt the music coursing through our veins.  It is the one place, left on earth, that still holds truth in music, and music in soul.

Eventually, we made our way to Beale street, and saw everything from the old Monarch club, to the Orpheum theater, to Handy’s house, and so much more.  We saw the influence of BB King everywhere around us, and heard the blues coming from every store, bar, juke, and alley.   We stopped by Handy Park, only to discover the local bluesmen still gather there to play today, just as they did 60 years ago.  We ventured into the only Juke on Beale, and heard Dr Feelgood belt out some amazing harp.  

We saw everything this year.  We literally heard blues that can only be heard in the delta.  We ate the food, jammed to the tunes, and stayed in true delta fashion.  We have yet to recover from living on Delta time, where everything is a half tick slower, and just a bit cheaper.  This was a fantastic ending to the delta trips – it was perfect.  It was amazing.  And if you weren’t there, it is near impossible to put into words.

There is nothing better than spending a weekend in the delta.  How did you spend your weekend?
 

Trip Photographs

The first day was a long one, and our first stop was to check out the old stomping grounds of Mississippi John Hurt.  Here is the old Valley Store he used to play in front of.
 

Here’s an old piano out back of the Valley Store – discarded and left for dead.  Imagine the greats that once played this piano…
 

And of course, right there was Mr. Hurt’s blues marker, marking the spot in history.

Our next stop was Drew Town Square.  At one time, this place had it going on.  All of the greats played here for tips.  Including Charley Patton, Tommy Johnson, Willie Brown, and later, a young Howlin’ Wolf.  here is the marker at the Drew Town Square.

Here is a wide shot of the fountain at Drew Town Square – right in the center of it all.

As you can see, the town was pretty much deserted.  Though there were a few locals still in town, the days of it being a Blues hub are long over.

Our next stop was right in the center of it all – the famous crossroads.  Though we know that this is not the crossroads where Johnson’s deal was made, it is still an important crossroads, as it is the center where two famous blues highways intersect.
 

While we were at the crossroads, we stopped into Abe’s BBQ for a quick meal.  Wow – BBQ in the delta is as good as it gets!

Next we swung on out the see the Riverview Hotel.  Nighthawk stayed here for a while, as did Sonny Boy Williamson II.  Bessie Smith even died here.
 

Next it was on to the Hopson Plantation.  Not only a famous place in blues history, but also where we had the pleasure of staying for the next two days.   Pinetop Perkins lived and played here, as well as worked the fields. Here is a shot of the Hopson Plantation Blues Marker.

This place was even home to the original Blues Mobile.  

There was a few old vehicles on the property…. 

They even had a “Delta Famous” bottle tree on site.  These were used back in the day to ward off spirits.

Here is the actual shack we stayed in – the Pinetop Perkins Shack.  It was the real deal – a shotgun house from back in the day.

Here is a money shot if the Hopson Plantation…

Here is our recording set up – we set out to record a few tunes while staying in the shack.  This is inside one of the interior rooms.

That night, we pulled a double whammy, and went to both Ground Zero and Red’s Lounge for the music.  Both cool places, and a site to be seen.  We saw Jimbo Mathis at Ground Zero, and Action Jackson at Red’s.  Here is Jimbo and his band ripping out some blues.

We even signed the wall at Ground Zero – it a tradition to do so, and nearly every wall is fully covered.  I guess it’s proof that we were there! 

Here’s a shot from inside Red’s with Action Jackson belting out some blues!
 

The next day we set out to see some more old, forgotten sites.  Our first stop was the Hirsberg Drugstore in Friar’s Point.  Many famous musicians played here, including Robert Johnson.  This is actually where Muddy Waters saw Robert Johnson play live, and quickly left the scene due to Johnson’s amazing abilities.  Here I am, playing in the same spot.

Next we went to check out Muddy Waters old Stomping grounds, right on the Stovall Plantation.  Here is the blues marker there….

Here is the exact spot where his shack used to sit.  We found out later, the shack will eventually be returned to this same spot.

Next we took a little jaunt into Clarksdale itself to check things out.  We stopped by the Cathead store – they had tons of tremendous goods!

Roger at Cathead recommended we check out The Rock and Roll and Blues Heritage Museum, run by Theo, and old retired dutchman.  So, check it out we did.  Here is a wide shot of the guy’s private collection turned museum:

He had fascinating stuff – tons of albums and old records…..

And to the surprise of us all, he even had test pressings – very rare indeed – of both Charley Patton…

And Robert Johnson!  So that’s where those went – to private collectors.  better than being destroyed….

Next we stopped by and saw the old site where W.C. Handy’s house used to sit in Clarksdale.  Nothing there now, but a marker stands to record the spot in history.

We also took a little look around, and found the old famous Delta eatery known as Sarah’s kitchen.  We were told it was open usually, but it looked closed to us!

Our last stop for the day was the Delta Museum.  We decided to go in and check it out.  There was quite a bit of history in that old train depot.  Of course they had Muddy Waters old cabin on display.

They also had areas dedicated to different artists.  Here is a display for Rice Miller (Sonnyboy Williamson II).  Notice all the harps!

The next day we hit the road again, this time in search of Robert Johnson’s boyhood home.  it has since been destroyed, and no longer stands – but we did find the plantation itself, which also had a blues marker.  One of the oldest plantations in the delta…

Next it was time to see Lula, MS.  Wow, what a town.  It used to be a very busy bustling hub, and now is nearly deserted.  Here is a shot of the blues marker….

Here is the shot of the railroad in Lula that used to bring all the action to town.

And, unfortunately, here is a shot of what Lula looks like today, in the middle of the day.

Next we hit the road, and on the way, a couple of blues markers.  Here is Son House’s marker just outside of Tunica.

Next we hit up the Highway 61 marker….

From there, we actually stumbled upon James Cotton, his plantation, and his marker….

Then, in a surprise move, we actually sought out the grave of Rice Miller.  It sat nearly alone, on the edge of a cotton field.  Here is the marker itself.

And here Thomas is, playing harp to one of the legends of the instrument.

Next it was onwards to Memphis, TN.  Our first stop in memphis was actually the Sun Records building.  It is open again, and apparently doing tours.  here is a shot of the side of the building.

Here is the front entrance to the studio itself.

And here is the money shot of the whole building.

Then, after a brief hotel check in, it was off to Beale Street.  We stopped at the Peabody hotel (Actually on Union Street).  here’s a shot of the lobby, where the delta begins.

Next we checked out the Orpheum club.  Very popular in Blues history.  Here’s the sign on the glass.

Here’s the bright lights for the Orpheum.

We made a quick stop at what was once the Monarch club, the finest gambling parlor in the south.  Now it is a bar on Beale Street.

We swung around the corner to see the W.C. Handy house, as it still stands.
 

Here’s a great shot of Beale street as we saw it.

B.B. king is a huge influence there, as he always talks about Beale.  Here is his club on the corner of Beale Street.
 

And here is a store claiming B.B. King status.

We saw the location where Hooks Brothers once stood, which is the place Robert Johnson took the famous picture of him in the suit.

As night time came down around us, we stopped briefly at the WC Handy Park to check out who was playing the park.  here is the statue at the Handy Park.
 

Here is the band jamming out at the park for the people.

We paused to watch a couple of Beale street performers.  They were all quite good.  Here is A solo act doing his thing.  He had a great raw, rough sound.

There was a band doing there thing too.  Here is the guitar player.

Here is their frontman doing his thing. 

That night, we stopped into the only place labeled a juke joint on Beale street – the Blues Hall.   

There, we heard some more of the low down blues, by the Dr. Feelgood Potts band.  What a show.   

After our stint on Beale Street, it was time to head home for some much needed rest!

Thank you to all of our 2009 Trip Sponsors!

The names of the 2009 Trip Sponsors are listed below.  If a link was provided, their name will be linked.  Thank you all for helping us raise close to $700 for this year’s trip!

Harish I.	Ajay K.	Shekhar K.
Rob M.	Michael W.	Edgar S.
David R.	Terry A.	Doug K.
Lindsay R.	Hailey R.	Madison R.
David R.	Sandy R.*	Nick H.
Dot F.	Louise F.	Kelly H.
Barbara H.	Bryan S.

Thanks again for your endless support.  Without you, the trip would never be possible.

* - Winner of the drawing for a new Fender Telecaster.  Congratulations!