From Jersey Shore to the Mississippi Delta—A Journey of Music, History, and Unforgettable Connections
What happens when you take nine people from totally different backgrounds with only the love of Blues music in common to a small Delta town called Clarksdale, Mississippi? You get four plus days of new relationships, renewed friendships, appreciation of each other’s talents, a lot of laughs, multiple history lessons, and a whole lot of Blues music.
Christine Zemla and her husband Scott “Blind Squirrel” (His given blues name) along with Jersey Shore Jazz & Blues Foundation president Tom Baldino, led a contingent to what is considered the birthplace of Blues music; the aforementioned Clarksdale, MS.
Clarksdale has a population of roughly 13,500 and in the words of Visit Clarksdale’s tourism director Bubba O’Keefe, the town has, “More characters than Sesame Street,” something we discovered almost immediately.
When entering Clarksdale, one gets the sense of stepping back in time. The vintage 1940’s and ’50’s style of architecture, populated with vintage business signs of decades past give the town a “Vibe” like no other. Everywhere one looks is a reminder of bygone days both good and maybe not so good. All over town are signs dotting corners and areas of distinction; whether it be the homes or places of significance of people like Muddy Waters, IkeTurner, Sam Cooke, WC Handy, Tennessee Williams, and countless others; everywhere you turn is a living history lesson.
After two flights and a tad more than an hour’s drive, we arrived at The Travelers Hotel late in the afternoon. The Travelers, with its cement floors, high ceilings, large windows, and common areas appears to have been repurposed from an old factory building. With features like a welcoming kitchen area where guests received cooking privileges as well as complimentary coffee, yogurt, and granola as well as fresh bananas and oranges each day to its “honor system” bar, The Travelers provided the optimum meeting space for not only our group but those we met from Australia and the UK who had come to Clarksdale for the same as us; Blues music and history.
The Travelers is centrally located, making it ideal to walk just about anywhere and walk we did. After having a couple of beverages at the honor system hotel lobby bar, we walked to The Stone Pony (No relation to that in Asbury Park) where we had dinner followed by a short walk back to the hotel before heading out to Bluesberry Cafe to see well-known blues man Watermelon Slim who was accompanied by Rob Robinson, aka “Heavy Drunk.” Seeing these living legends of blues music in an up close and personal setting is both an exciting and sobering experience. The Bluesberry Cafe itself was inside an old storefront complete with display windows; a common theme throughout the town.
The following morning we arose early and met Chilly Billy Howell of Delta Bohemian Tours (Deltabohemiantours.com) who took the four of us on an incredible historical journey through Clarksdale and its surrounding areas. With “Rock On Radio’s” Producer Claire riding shotgun and Tom Baldino, Scott “Blind Squirrel” and this contributor crammed into the back seat of Billy’s Jeep, we visited places such as the sight of Muddy Water’s home, the Stovall Plantation, rode on top of one of the many levees overlooking the Mississippi River out to Friar’s Point, past places such as the Riverside Motel (Part of the maybe not so good past mentioned earlier) where JFK Jr. stayed and “Queen of the Blues” Bessie Smith perished. We also stopped by the parking lot of Ramon’s; a popular restaurant amongst the locals said to have the, “Best butterflied shrimp around,” (More on that later) before heading back into town and eventually The Travelers. Chilly Billy’s tour was indeed one of the many highlights of the trip; it was informative, laidback, very educational and Billy has a wealth of unrivaled knowledge. This is a definite “Must do” on any trip to Clarksdale.
Later on that day we wandered over to the Visit Clarksdale Center (Visitclarksdale.com) where we saw our good friend and tourism director Bubba O’Keefe. Bubba too is a native and historian of Clarksdale who has played a huge role in its ongoing revitalization efforts. After a brief stay, we meandered back towards The Travelers but not before encountering two gentlemen sitting on a bench outside of what looked to be an abandoned building. One of them seemed very familiar and once he said that he had just put the finishing touches on Charlie Musselwhite’s soon-to-be-released album and had finished working with John Primer, that abandoned building was none other than the recording studio of renowned producer Gary J. Vincent. He and his buddy, “Hambone” were just as laidback as Chilly Billy and more than willing to engage us in conversation.
Once back to The Travelers, this writer had an interview to do with Ground Zero owner/partner Eric Meier about the famed blues club partially owned by actor Morgan Freeman which, unfortunately, was closed during our stay. After a great discussion with Eric, we once again convened and slid on over to the Bad Apple Blues Club where Gary Neuwirth joined Sean “Bad” Apple’s music and history show on the harmonica before we scurried over to the Den Again Diner where Tom and Christine presented an award and scholarship check to up an coming young blues artist, 11-year-old Little Joe McLerran who was performing there with his father, Hambone and a younger sister.
As the day’s sun begins to fade, we jump into our rental car for the short drive outside of town to what at first glance looks like a deserted outpost but in reality is the Shack Up Inn. A place where guests can rent individual “Shacks”: that lie amidst old abandoned autos across from a Mississippi cotton field. Adjacent is The Hopson Commissary which has a small dinner menu, plenty of cold beer and yes, live blues music. On this particular night we caught multi-instrumentalist BE doing an acoustic set and who was eventually joined by Gary Neuwirth and yours truly for several selections.
Friday brought an emotional roller coaster; be it the intrigue of Dockery Farm in Cleveland, MS, the eeriness of The Crossroads, the history of the Delta Grammy Museum, or the somber reminder of the segregated South’s past at the Emmett Till Interpretive Center and the courthouse across the street in Sumner, MS where the young child’s murderers were put on trial; solemn reminders were all around us as to how far we have come as a nation.
Friday evening found us back at Ramon’s. Now, if you recall, “Ramon’s” was mentioned earlier; well, just like everything else in Clarksdale, it has a story and in the words of Chilly Billy, “It’s a complicated answer.” According to local legend, when Ramon’s was opened, the person(s) charged with painting the sign on the building apparently spelled it like they spoke and left the “Y” and “D” out of the sign. So, the restaurant’s name is actually pronounced, “Raymond’s.” Producer Claire did have the butterflied shrimp and she shared their deliciousness with this hungry correspondent but she was not as enthusiastic over the portion of frog’s legs offered in return which were recommended by fellow foundation member Joe Riggio.
After finishing at Ramon’s we found ourselves back at The Travelers preparing for the incoming severe weather before heading to Red’s Juke Joint to see the fabulous Edna Nicole. We arrived at Red’s only to discover that it was closed due to electrical issues caused by the severe storms and would remain closed the following evening when we had planned on returning once again to see “Big A.” Firmly disappointed we returned to the Den Again but the acoustic act had just finished its evening. As we turned to leave, a tall, burly man, complete with a beard and a trucker cap (Turns out he was a trucker) turned to Christine Zemla and asked why we were leaving. Christine explains how Red’s was closed on this night and will be the following evening and how we wanted to see both of the scheduled acts and the truck drivin’ man says, “Hold on” and pulls out his cell phone. Once the party on the other end answers and after a brief conversation, he hands the phone to Christine and within the very same hour, Edna Nicole, “Big A” and his band arrive and they give us an hour plus private concert which began with “Big A” proclaiming, “Sorry it took me a bit, I was cleaning fish” and completed with Gary Neuwirth once again joining in on harp.
Our last day began with breakfast at “Our Grandma’s House of Pancakes” and a trip to the Delta Blues Museum, a visit to Deak’s Mississippi Saxophone Shop, a walk past Hambone where we found blues musician Cricket Edgeworth outside having a post gig cigarette. After another quick conversation with her, we strolled over to the Red Panther Brewing Company, a local micro-brew and then began our migration back to The Travelers. Producer Claire and I found a Catholic church and attended mass while the rest went to find BBQ for dinner. Our last stop en masse was to The Hostel where we once again enjoyed the sounds of “Big A” before calling it a night ahead of Sunday’s travel day.
The next morning brought an early departure time, making a town of very little activity seem downright desolate but as we drove through Clarksdale’s rich history and back towards Memphis, this writer could not help but close his eyes and picture what it must have been like in its hey-day. The old 1960’s style Greyhound Bus terminal sign that still adorns the building which at one time was bustling with activity, or the old drugstore signs hanging from second story facades that were once rich with teens/kids going for sodas or penny candy seem to come to life if even only in one’s mind. Although Clarksdale is a town steeped in history, it is a stark reminder of the past. A past that launched the births and careers of many music icons but one that also reminds us of the struggles they faced. Bottom line? Whether you are a Blues music enthusiast or not, visit Clarksdale; the people, the history, the atmosphere will win you over.
On a personal note, many thanks to Tom, Christine, and all of the Jersey Shore Jazz & Blues Foundation members who made this happen. Special shout out to Tammina and Stella “Sleepy Grape” Neuwirth for putting up with all of the “Dad jokes.” Producer Claire and I had a blast, let’s do it again next year!