Volume 13, No. 2 | April 2020

KEEPING THE BEAT
The Official Newsletter of the Delta Blues Museum
April, 2020
Director's Note
**Delta Blues Museum will remain closed until further notice. We will continue to update you with information on our reopening and share with you ways to connect with us in the meantime.**
Dear Delta Blues Museum Supporters,
As we continue to practice social distancing and incorporate other recommended changes to our daily lives, it is important to find ways to still connect to each other. Music is one of them.
The power of music - especially the blues - is amazing. Blues music is a product of a resilient people, and we need to draw on this strength.
Although we have temporarily closed our gallery and suspended our Arts & Education classes, we are working to provide digital experiences for those who wish to visit the museum.
Virtual visitors may access our
Explore and Learn Features
that provide in-depth information on artists and subjects in our gallery. This year, we will celebrate "Muddy Waters Month" a little differently: We are currently working on a brand-new virtual tour to compliment our
"Follow Muddy"
Explore and Learn feature. We will be ramping up our social media outreach, as well.
As we navigate these unchartered waters, Delta Blues Museum is proceeding with a focus on employee and visitor safety and security. We are also aware that the myriad effects from this global economic volatility will dramatically impact the Museum and Clarksdale, just as it will other businesses, towns and cities. While we are physically closed to the public, Museum staff continues planning for future programs, exhibits and activities that focus on the contributions of the incredibly resilient men and women who created art that forever impacted all genres of music.
I'm reminded of an anecdote from Blues & Chaos: The Music Writing of Robert Palmer: After a recording session for R.L. Burnside's Too Bad Jim, Robert Palmer attempted to describe "the blues" this way,
"Rarely have chaos and uncertainty been so listenable; and I'll almost certainly be listening for the rest of my life."
In recent days, I have found myself taking comfort in Big Bill Broonzy's 'Pneumonia Blues (I Keep on Achin')'', Blind Lemon Jefferson's 'Pneumonia Blues', and Ace Johnson's "Influenza" as well as Muddy Waters' "Tough Times" and John Lee Hooker's "Hard Times".
So, I encourage you to listen to music - maybe go through
our collection of 78's, check out one of our
podcasts, or perhaps order an
album
and draw upon the power of the blues to get us through.
Please be well, and stay safe.
Shelley Ritter
WAYS TO SUPPORT THE DELTA BLUES MUSEUM...

....TAKE OUR NEW *VIRTUAL* TOUR TO CELEBRATE MUDDY WATERS MONTH!
April is MUDDY WATERS MONTH at Delta Blues Museum, and this year we'll celebrate it virtually with a new online tour created by Mississippi filmmaker Joe York. Stay tuned for our announcement on the April premiere date and details on admission - coming soon!
...SHOP ONLINE IN OUR GIFT SHOP
NEW! EXCLUSIVE! LIMITED EDITION!
Delta Blues, a new, two-CD set produced exclusively for Delta Blues Museum, is now available from our online store. This 48 - track anthology features cuts by legends Muddy Waters, B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, Howlin' Wolf, Robert Johnson, Charley Patton, Skip James, and Elmore James, among others. It also includes tracks by lesser known but vital artists such as Blind Roosevelt Graves and King Solomon Hill. From classics ("Cross Road Blues") to more obscure songs ("Slow Mama Slow"), Delta Blues delivers the deep blues.The two - CD set comes with a 40-page booklet of notes. Available only from the Delta Blues Museum online store. Limited edition, order now!
Your Gift Shop purchases support the Museum's work in preserving and presenting the legacy of the blues-thanks!
Visit our shop to order


SPECIAL RECOGNITION

Delta Blues Museum would like to congratulate photographer and Museum friend
BILL STEBER
on his newly-announced 2020 South Arts State Fellowship!
Jimmy "Duck" Holmes. Photography by Bill Steber.
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA!
#DBM40





Thanks for your continued and future support!
Shelly Ritter, Director
This newsletter is supported in part by funding from the Mississippi Arts Commission, a state agency, and, in part, from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
This site is made possible through support from the Mississippi Arts Commission, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Rock River Foundation.
This site made possible through the support of Mississippi Arts Commission, National Endowment for the Humanities and the Rock River Foundation.
Support for the Delta Blues Foundation, Inc has been provided by explore.org, a direct charitable activity of the Annenberg Foundation.
Latest Posts
Traveling Exhibit Event
Museum Expands Educational Programming
New Little Milton Explore & Learn
New Permanent Exhibit Unveiled
Museum Links
Museum Contact information
#1 Blues Alley Lane
Clarksdale, MS 38614
Phone: 662-627-6820
Email: info@deltabluesmuseum.org