| |
|
Delta Blues
Newsletter
July 2011
The weather this spring in the
Delta was downright Biblical: historic floods, record tornadoes
in both number and size, and great big hail. There was high
water everywhere, but the was undamaged.
The levees kept back the mighty Mississippi, the nearest
tornado hit around Friar's Point, a few miles away, and
the hail missed our front yard and historic railroad depot
building roof.
Despite the bad weather, construction on our new kept on track-thanks to for all the hard work so far!
 |
 |
|
| Our
new Muddy Waters Addition going up.
[Photo credit: Kevin Clanton] |
Help
us build a walkway for the new building: buy
a Museum Brick! |
|
We have been busy, hosting receptions for -
in our galleries. Thanks to the Community Foundation of
Northwest Mississippi for funding the exhibit and opening
reception; to Martha James, friend of the Museum and member
of the Clarksdale Garden Club for the flower arrangements;
and to Lenora Commer for the beautiful magnolias.
|
|
|
|
| Son
House Exhibit Opening, June 23, 2011
The Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi
presents a check for the Son House exhibit and a website
feature on Robert Johnson.
Pitcured (from left): Museum Board Chairman Bill Gresham;
Tom Pittman, Director, CFNM; Rob Tyner, President,
CFNM; Director Shelley Ritter; Museum Board Member
Dr. Frank Marascalco; Dick Waterman.
[Photo Credit: Chuck Lamb] |
|
Son House Exhibit
Opening, June 23, 2011
Bill Abel plays Son House tunes
on a new edition of 1930s model "Style O" National
Steel guitar, the type played by House.
Donated to
the Museum by National Reso-Phonics Guitars.
[Photo Credit: John Howell] |
 |
| Table
display at the Pinetop Perkins Foundation Master Class
reception, June 18, 2011. [Photo Credit: P.J. Walker] |
students, instructors, and Foundation board
members. Thanks to Patty Johnson for her assistance with
the reception and to Martha James for the flower arrangements.
, photographer, and
, writer, for their
book, ,
and at
the Museum. Thanks to
for the delicious refreshments, and to of Chuck Lamb Photography, for photographing the
Waterman and Murphy-Barretta receptions.
Musicians
from Mali, in Clarksdale to present "From Mali to Mississippi,"
a concert at the .
|
|
|
|
| Reception for the opening of
Mississippi: State of Blues exhibit, April 7, 2011.
Pictured (from left): Gold Strike Casino staff Dewayne Hicks and
Wanalisa Pollard; Bill Gresham, Museum Board Chairman; Shelley Ritter, Museum Director; Lorraine Chatman,
Gold Strike Casino; Ken Murphy, photographer; Scott Barretta, writer; and Eric Duffy, Gold Strike Casino and
President, Diversity Council.
[Photo Credit: Chuck Lamb] |
|
Acoustic
Africa musicians visit the Museum, April 13, 2011.
Greeting Malian guitarist Habib Koite (center) are
(from left) Robert Canon, Mississippi Festival Foundation
Director who coordinated the group's performance at
Coahoma Community College; CCC student Fatoumata Diaby
of Mali; Dr. Vivian Presley, college president; Shelley
Ritter, Museum Director; Patty Johnson; and Yvonne
Stanford, DBM Board Member and chair of Coahoma's
Lyceum Series, sponsor of the concert, part of CCC's
observance of Cultural Awareness Week.
[Photo Credit: Panny Flautt Mayfield] |
In between all the storms and receptions, I attended the
annual meeting in Houston May 21-26 where I made many new
museum contacts and found several products that could be
incorporated into our future exhibits.
Despite the bad weather, we had from everywhere -
; Scott
Coopwood, owner and founder of Coopwood Communications; and
leaders from the Meek School of Journalism and New Media at
the University of Mississippi including Dr. Will Norton, Dean;
Charles Mitchell, Assistant Dean, and others.
from the
Mississippi Arts Commission
 |
| Clashmusic Road Trip Crew with
Museum Tour Group
Director Maie Smith |
 |
| Museum
Store Associate P. J.
with Satoru Takahashi |
from the Mississippi
Department of Archives and History
members from Illinois, Arkansas, and
Mississippi.
of Louisville, KY, the designers for
our new, permanent exhibits
, we hosted visitors from
states and countries
A "Road Trip" crew from
visited the Museum,
and interviewed Museum Tour Group Director .
, a Japanese businessman and blues
fan who plays drums, dropped by.
Our original Museum
page maxed out at 5,000 friends-we ended
up with over 1,000 supporters on a waiting list! If you
are a friend on the old page, please sign up on our new
FB page. The original page is now closed.
 |
| Face
Book Screen Shot |
Also, we want
to encourage our FB members to post blues-related news and
events. If you haven't seen what's going on in our online
blues community on Facebook, you're missing the party! Join
us to support and enjoy the blues music and culture we work
for at the .
Breaking news: We are pleased to announce a grant of $17,800
from the
for general operating support-thank you!
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.
 |
|
Son House portraits by Dick Waterman |
13 photographic portraits
of taken by . Waterman, the famed music photographer
and Oxford, MS resident, helped rediscover House in the
'60s and managed his concerts during that era's blues revival.
For more on House, see our "Follow Son House" Web Feature.
 |
| "Ground
Zero Blues Club, Clarksdale" by Ken Murphy |
,
photographs by noted photographer taken from the book of the same name. The
display features 30 large-format photos of blues scenes
in and around Clarksdale, from performances at the Sunflower
River Blues and Gospel Festival and Red's to portraits of
Super Chikan and Jimbo Mathus. The book, which includes
an essay by Mississippian blues historian and writer , is for sale in our online Store.
A guitar was donated
by of Oxford, who
writes: "The guitar is a , typical of the 'parlor guitars' of its day,
slightly smaller but with a very big sound. It was the first
step up after a , and
made for those who liked the Gibson style and sound, but
couldn't afford a true Gibson. Gibson was founded and based
in Kalamazoo, Michigan, so they gave that name to their
entry level guitar.
was known to play a ,
which is a slightly larger version of this guitar."
|
|
 |
|
 |
| Mick
Kolassa with 1937 Kalamazoo guitar donated to the
Museum |
|
R.
L. Burnside guitar |
|
"Dr. Mike's" guitar |
The guitar of ,
hill country blues boogie master, is now part of our collection.
Many thanks to and
for
their assistance with this acquisition.
The Museum has also acquired the guitar of , "Dr. Mike," who taught in our Arts and Education
program.
African instruments were donated by .
will take place on
four stages in downtown Clarksdale. This year's event honors
late, local musicians and supporters who enriched local
blues culture for over 20 years: Big Jack Johnson, Sarah
Moore, Wesley Jefferson, Foster "Tater" Wiley, James Alford,
and Michael James. "Dr. Mike" taught in our Arts and Education
Program.
 |
1990
Photo courtesy of Howard Stovall |
We recently received this photographic "flashback" from Howard Stovall
which shows "the Sunflower Festival on the loading dock, August 8, 1990." How far the Festival has come in the last
21 years!
The
presents its (just across the river from Clarksdale).
This year's edition features , and , along with many local acts.
presented a
concert on our
stage on May 6. He also conducted a free workshop session
before the concert; the first 15 participants who signed
up received a free harmonica.
was bigger and better than ever. We hosted a packed
crowd in our classroom to hear talk about his life and times
as a Delta bluesman, traveling and playing with Robert Johnson,
Big Joe Williams, Tommy Johnson, Charley Patton, and Johnny
Shines. "Honeyboy" turned 96 last month-a belated "happy
birthday!" On our stage, we hosted the from as well as two performances during the
weekend by our own .
|
DBM Band, Juke Joint Festival |
|
|
|
|
Tyrannosaurus Chicken (Bob Lewis and Rachel Ammons), one of many regional bands playing on Clarksdale streets for Juke Joint Festival
|
|
Cigar box guitars for sale at Juke Joint Festival
|
has been playing
around! The Band celebrated its first CD, , on June 2 with
a party and concert at . The CD is available from the online Store.
The also played two
concerts during
weekend, and another gig at Harrah's in Tunica, on July
20. The Band will appear at the on Friday, August
12.
 |
| Director
Shelley Ritter with Scott Ainslie,
who arranged the
donation of instructional DVDs |
, a guitarist
who specializes in
music and who taught a slide guitar workshop at the Museum
in February, organized the donation of more than from and
to the Arts and Education Program for use in our teaching
programs. Thanks Scott, Happy, and Stefan!
Plan time to shop with us when you visit the
for CDs, DVDs, books, tee-shirts, posters, and special Son
House merchandise (tees, postcards).
We have also started a section in the .
Stay tuned as we add guitar strings and picks, drum sticks, and other items to our selection of instructional DVDs, CDs, and books.
features beautiful photographs by Ken Murphy and insightful
text by Scott Barretta that show the blues are alive and
well in and around Clarksdale. Signed copies are available
for $60 here.
Gift
Shop
|
|
Delta Blues Museum
Board of Directors
William H. Gresham, President
Yvonne Stanford, Secretary
Johnny Lewis
Dr. Frank Marascalco
Jim Herring |
Return
to the Delta Blues Museum
Sign up for our newsletter "Keeping
the Beat"
|
|
|
