This April 13^th through 15^th, the 9^th annual Juke Joint Festival will be held in Clarksdale, MS. What is the Juke Joint Festival? It’s a positive event for everyone in Clarksdale. It’s good for families, businesses, musicians and tourists alike. The festival itself combines an international “blues festival” with a community-minded “small-town fair,” creating a strong and memorable event like no other in the universe. It’s organized by the Clarksdale Downtown Development Association (CDDA) and staffed by enthusiastic volunteers. This “half small-town fair, half blues festival” does more than simply entertain attendees -- though it definitely does that, too! It aims to educate and enlighten native Deltans and blues tourists alike through a series of performances, exhibits, and presentations involving music, art, storytelling, film, and children’s events. The event mixes visitors with locals and showcases the economic power of cultural tourism, turning average Deltans into ambassadors for the region. 

Clarksdale is just 90 minutes south of the Memphis International Airport and was once home to such blues greats as: Son House, John Lee Hooker, Junior Parker, Ike Turner, Muddy Waters, Pinetop Perkins, Earl Hooker, Lil Green, Big Jack Johnson and many many others.  This year’s festival is dedicated to Delta blues legend David "Honeyboy" Edwards was a regular performer at Juke Joint Festival.  He passed away on August 29, 2011 at 96 years old.

A family-friendly event, the festival also provides a bus service at night to discourage drinking and driving between music venues. All daytime Saturday events are all FREE while nighttime Saturday events all come for the price of a cheap, $15 wristband (which gets you unlimited rides on the blues shuttle bus and entry to almost 20 nighttime 'juke joint' venues). For more information, event listing and pictures from past festivals go to www.jukejointfestival.com

Or go to http://visitclarksdale.com/ for more information on Clarksdale itself.

As we approach the unveiling of the 150th Mississippi Blues Trail next Tuesday, two new blues trail markers were erected in the Mississippi Delta this week.

On Thursday, February 16, Tommy McClennan was recognized with a marker at W. Broadway and N. Water Streets in Yazoo City. McClennan (c. 1905-1961) was one of America's most successful down-home blues recording artists during the period when he recorded 20 singles for the Bluebird label (1939-1942). Among McClennan's most notable numbers were “Bottle It Up and Go,” “Cross Cut Saw,” “Travelin’ Highway Man,” “Deep Blue Sea Blues,” “Whiskey Head Woman” and “New Highway No. 51 Blues.” McClennan, famed for his raucous, uninhibited singing and guitar playing, frequented the Water Street section of Yazoo City when he lived on the nearby J. F. Sligh plantation.

Pianist, vocalist and songwriter Mose Allison also received a blues trail marker in his hometown of Tippo. Allison performed at the Bologna Performing Arts Center at Delta State University earlier this week and was the recipient of the Governor’s Lifetime Achievement Award from the Mississippi Arts Commission during a ceremony in Jackson. Allison was born on November 11, 1927, in his grandfather’s farmhouse on the island in Tippo Bayou, about three miles from town. In 1956, Allison moved to New York City, where he soon achieved acclaim as a jazz artist. His music always retained a strong blues influence though, and in addition to covering the songs of Sonny Boy Williamson No. 2, Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon, Allison authored blues standards, including “Parchman Farm.”

Join us as we celebrate the unveiling of the150th Mississippi Blues marker on Tuesday, February 21, 2012, honoring Furry Lewis. The ceremony is scheduled for 10 a.m. at the intersection of Lamar Street and Carrollton Avenue in Greenwood, Miss. A reception will be held at the Crystal Grill immediately following the unveiling ceremony.