New Explore & Learn - The River and The Road to The Blues
September, 2025
Volume 14, No. 3 | August 2021
KEEPING THE BEAT
The Official Newsletter of the Delta Blues Museum
WELCOME TO JOHN LEE HOOKER MONTH...
...and welcome, Sunflower River Blues Festival fans!
This year's Sunflower Festival will be held August 13 - 15th in Clarksdale, and the Delta Blues Museum is offering special hours and safety measures for visitors:
FRIDAY, August 13th (online reservations required): Open from 10AM - 6PM
SATURDAY, August 14th (online reservations required): Open from 10AM - 6PM
SUNDAY, August 15th: Open from 10AM - 3PM
Current Museum guidelines will permit 20 people at a time (per online reservation, see below) to visit the gallery every hour. While we can accommodate more visitors in the gallery, the Gift Shop capacity is currently limited to 15. If there is overlap, the gallery is spacious enough to accommodate.
VISITATION POLICY:
Friday and Saturday admission reservations must be made online. A Museum representative will be stationed next to our main entrance to assist visitors in making their online reservations, checking in guests with reservations and ensuring all visitors are wearing a mask. Guests who are solely interested in shopping will be accommodated as space allows.
THE 2021 SUNFLOWER RIVER BLUES FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
Friday, August 13, 2021 @ the Delta Blues Museum Stage:
- 7:00PM - 7:45PM Delta Blues Museum Band
- 8:00PM - 8:45PM Heather Crosse: Heavy Suga & The Sweet Tones
- 9:00PM - 9:45PM Steve "Lightnin" Malcolm
Saturday August 14, 2021 @ the Acoustic Stage (VIP Tent):
- 10:00AM - 10:45AM Pat Thomas
- 11:00AM - 11:45AM Kenny Brown
- 12:00PM - 12:45PM Jimmy "Duck" Holmes
- 1:00PM - 1:45PM Bill Abel
- 2:00PM - 2:45PM Little Willie Farmer
- 3:00PM - 3:45PM Sean "Bad" Apple (Acoustic Stage moves to the DBM Stage)
- 4:00PM - 4:45PM Bill "Howlin' Madd" Perry
- 5:00PM - 5:45PM Mark "Muleman" Massey
Saturday August 14, 2021 @ the Delta Blues Museum Stage:
- 6:00PM - 6:45PM Lucious Spiller
- 7:00PM - 7:45PM Terry "Big T" Williams
- 8:00PM - 8:45PM Jimbo Mathus
- 8:45PM - 9:00PM Awards ceremony
- 9:00PM - 9:45PM Anthony "Big A" Sherrod
- 10:00PM - 10:45PM Sweet Angel
- 11:00PM - 11:45PM Nathaniel Kimble
Sunday Gospel Stage schedule TBA
CELEBRATE THE LIFE OF A LEGEND...
...throughout the month of August!
This month, we're featuring merchandise related to the life and career of John Lee Hooker: Choose from our great selection of CDs, a special JLH t-shirt, the artist's biography and a limited edition photographic print by famed blues photographer Dick Waterman - or get them all! Shop in person or click here to support the Delta Blues Museum with your online purchase.
The Museum appreciates your patronage and support - thank you!
MISSISSIPPI HUMANITIES GRANT AWARDED
Delta Blues Museum has received a $15,000 grant from the Mississippi Humanities Council, as part of the American Rescue Plan and in conjunction with the National Endowment for the Humanities. This funding will be used to help offset general operating expenses as we continue to face financial concerns due to the pandemic.
We remain ever grateful to all of our funding partners and donors, especially in these extraordinary times, and we thank MHC for their continued support.
STAFF SPOTLIGHT: WILL KLEFFNER
Meet Delta Blues Museum's summer intern, Will Kleffner! In his time this summer, Will has been creating our popular #MilitaryMonday social media posts, providing updates to the DBM's website and assisting with grant applications for the Museum.
Will is entering his second year at the Cooperstown Graduate Program in Cooperstown, New York. In his studies, he is focusing on museum administration and looks to work in the area of development.
He currently resides in Cooperstown, but is originally from Lima, Ohio, where he attended The Ohio State University, receiving a B.A. in History in 2019. His first exposure to Blues music was in 2018, when he listened to Son House's "Death Letter Blues." Since then, in honor of his blues hero, he has picked up the guitar and learned to play "Death Letter Blues."
Outside of his graduate studies, Will enjoys listening to music, building his record collection and, now, playing the guitar. Thank you, Will, for your great work!
Follow us on social media and look for Will's #MilitaryMonday posts!
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.
DELTA BLUES MUSEUM HIGHLIGHTS
Exhibits, News and More!
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
MAC Grant Awarded
August, 2025
Museum Expands Educational Programming
January, 2025
New Permanent Exhibit Unveiled
October, 2024
Museum Links
Museum Contact information
#1 Blues Alley Lane
Clarksdale, MS 38614
Phone: 662-627-6820
Email: info@deltabluesmuseum.org
