Delta Blues Trip - Leg 1 (7/18/2020)

This is a story about leaving and living.  The grave visits will be after the next update.

My previous post told about this trip and finally Saturday, July 18, 2020, came around, and I was so super excited to make this trip that I woke up early on in the 6 o'clock hour (AM).  As with anything one does that he's longed for, I felt a bit of weepy-joy but didn't let it happen because I make ugly cry-faces.  Still, realizing I was headed down historic Highway 61 - traveled by so many blues men and women - I couldn't help but feel excellent!

CLICK HERE to see the trip from Memphis, TN, that started at 8am and ended at 9:30pm!  My friends Lisa McGeorge and Jack Chapman joined me on this journey.

But, why did I want to go on this trip?  As a kid, a fan of Muppets, Disney, and other fun kiddy music, I was turned onto new sounds by The Blues Brothers, and suddenly began to make connections to music I heard being played around.  It started with Sam and Dave because of "Soul Man" by The Blues Brothers.  Eventually, I had a copy of 'Briefcase Full of Blues' by The Blues Brothers, and they introduced the names of the blues performers whose songs they were covering, and I did more research.  In my teens, I learned about Robert Johnson, Charley Patton, and others, and fell deeply in love with their stories (as big a fan of theirs that I am, I will crown Muddy Waters as my top favorite).  Then, I learned that Robert Johnson was buried somewhere in Mississippi, and for some reason never looked on a map for how close or far the grave was - assuming it was way down and out of reach.

Then, per my last post, I found that all these areas are only about 2 hours away from Memphis, TN, and I could make my way there, and so: this trip!  While I don't believe Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil to learn how to play guitar, I do believe that it's a fun story to tell, and creates a legend that we can hold onto.    That said, there were three crossroads to visit, three graves, three historical places.  A trinity of the blues!  (There is a book called Brother Robert by his 94 year old sister Annye Anderson published June 2020.)

FIRST STOP - Crossroads 1b and 1a

Clarksdale, MS, and the crossroads.  Highways 61 and 49 cross twice, and the first one we stopped at wasn't as fully traveled or as populated as the one marked as 'the crossroads.'  IF the legend was true, I consider this first set of 61/49 to be where it would have been more likely to have happened.  I have named this Crossroads 1b, because the 'marked' crossroads is most famous and so earn the title 1a.

But, pulling over for this quick photo was brief as we headed down to downtown Clarksdale, MS, to the marked Crossroads 1a, next to Abe's BBQ where I would have loved to taken lunch (especially the tamales).

The Clarksdale plaque at the marked Crossroads 1a read:
Clarksdale

County seat of Coahoma County, was founded in 1869 by John Clark, for whom the town was named. Situated in one of the most fertile regions of the world, it has grown into one of the leading cities of the Yazoo Mississippi Delta.  It has a just pride in its library, its schools, and its churches, and is an important market for long staple cotton.

Placed by Rosannah Waters Chapter, D.A.R. 1938

We passed by the hotel where Bessie Smith died and went to Ground Zero in Clarksdale, next to the blues museum I've visited before.  Everything was closed that early in the morning (we'd reached Clarksdale about 9 am).

SECOND STOP - CROSSROADS 2

Not only did Robert Johnson sing about Rosedale, but Jim Henson
was born in Greenville.

I guess it is in some of the folklore mostly out of Europe and in some other genres of music that, possibly because he sang about Rosedale, MS, Robert Johnson must have met the devil at these crossroads, also Highway 1 and 8.  (Side note, as we made our way around the Delta, we found ourselves on both HWY 8 and HWY 49 a few times!)  I'll share my thoughts on Johnson's legend in another post one day.

Highway 1 heads straight north and south, parallel with the Mississippi River, and Highway 8 dead-ends into it.  I personally think that a crossroads should be one road going through the other; but, a T shaped intersection is considered a crossroads as well, I guess.

With nothing really to see here, we made our departure to our next stop.  I'll share Crossroads #3 in my next update when I go to a few VERY special places!

THIRD STOP - Jim Henson Delta Boyhood Museum

We went forward to Leland, MS, and the Jim Henson Delta Boyhood Museum.  We drove past the old theater in Leland where Jim Henson watched The Wizard of Oz, and the Leland Elementary School where he may have attended.  Then, on to the museum itself.

"Ukelele" Jack Chapman likes
the frog with a banjo!

Lisa McGeorge remembers a time when
Kermit met Elton John on The Muppet Show.

My Fozzie replica made by Carl Chadd.

#memphismonster

Of course, following a Cookie Monster replica puppet image, I have to share about:

Third Stop Part 2 - LUNCH!!

Some of the best food there is can be found at a gas station called:

Even greeted by a sleeping cat on top of the minnow bin :D

Lisa had to get a photo with the sleeping cat who was
dreaming of delicious minnows!

The large cheeseburger was delicious, partnered with season fries.

After lunch, it was time for our next part of the trip.  Deep into the dusty fields of the Mississippi Delta to visit the grave sites of some great and legendary blues performers.  Although this was the second leg of our trip, I'm going to dedicate my next post out of order and discuss the third leg of our trip to the Emmitt Till markers.

I just didn't want to end the stories with one which breaks my heart.

Until next time...

Just seen on side of the road and loved it.

Delta Blues Trip plans for Saturday 7/18/2020

All my life, I've been a HUGE blues fan, and my dream vacation is to start in the Mississippi Delta and travel the Blues Highway all the way to Chicago, hitting every single blues joint along the way and try the different "best" foods in those areas.

In June 2020, I decided just to look up the location where Robert Johnson is buried.  I was really surprised to see that the graveyard is only 2.5 hours outside of Memphis, TN!  And then, it happened: I began researching his paths in life, and looked up the crossroads-es (there's more than one possibility) and planned to make my trip on Saturday 7/18/2020!

Overnight from July 14 - 15, something happened.  As I laid there trying to sleep, I woke to a visitation of a dark shadowy figure - VERY oppressive energy.  This isn't the first time such an event has happened to me (honestly, it's becoming a non-event nowadays); but, there was another figure there with me.  I called on the name of Jesus, I called for Archangel Michael, and the oppressive figure dissipated, the second one calmly just faded away.  I think it should be noted that the last song in my mind as I went to bed was "Hellhound on my Trail."

I finally fell asleep again, and there was calm.  And some thoughts began to enter my mind and I'll share more on a different day; but, one ties into this trip so I'll share it here:

I think the crossroads weren't an actual location to visit and meet the devil.  After all, he says in the first lines, "I went to the crossroad, fell down on my knees, asked the Lord above, "Have mercy now, save poor Bob if you please."  The rest of the song is that he's stranded, stuck in an area of life that he can't get out of - nobody there, not even a woman.  "Crossroads"* represents a needed change in his life, not a physical location.

However, even knowing that, I do plan to visit the THREE sites for the expected Crossroads:

Highways 61 & 49 in Clarksdale, MS,
Highways 1 & 8 in Rosedale, MS (which Robert Johnson sings about) (Hwy 8 runs past Dockery Farms),
and just south of Dockery Farms, down a dirt road, past a cemetery, at Lusk and Walker Roads.  (Dockery Farms is important because Robert Johnson spent a lot of time there.)

Just to point out: Robert Johnson sings about Vicksburg, MS, which is the lowest point on the map that he sings about, and Memphis, TN, where he lived a while and is the highest point on the map that he sings about.  Rosedale, MS, falls right in the middle of the two cities.  So, if the legend (which is all it is, I think) were true, it could be that Rosedale IS the crossroads - he did travel the river roads often.

Back to the trip, We're leaving out of Memphis, TN, at 8 am, and headed first to the Clarksdale, MS, Crossroads.  Then, down to Highways 1 & 8 in Rosedale, MS, and then next door to Leland, MS, to visit the Jim Henson Boyhood Museum!

After that, we're making a trip to visit the grave of Charley Patton (Grandfather of the Blues), B.B. King, and Robert Johnson.  That will be followed by a trip to the historical marker of Emmett Till - for whom my heart still cries - and a return trip to Memphis, TN.

Trip photos to come, and Robert Johnson musings, and more.

- - - -

*The reason I used this version of Crossroad Blues is because I agree with the guy who slowed the music down and it sounds less high-pitched vocally or 'quick' on the music.  This sounds like a real bluesman's voice to  me!  The recorded version was made in the 1930s, and the machine back then may not have played at a proper RPM and so it sounds sped up.  Here's the original recording CLICK HERE.