American Idol is on the road again. This time there will be a stop in Clarkesdale, MS.
Truth be told, that show makes me nervous,
but I hope to tune in to see some of the local Delta talent.
If you want to check out the Small Town Bus Tour, AI says that they will update their website as more information becomes available, so get your number ready.
I'm already enjoying a mental time machine trip and imagining a young Ike or Sam
playing for a chance at the big times.
WWMD?
What would Mariah do? Would she send those guys to the next round?
Way back when, if you were an African American musician looking for a place to stay the night in Clarkesdale, the Riverside Motel was the place to be.
If you are a person of a certain age, you remember the feeling of your pajama-clad heiney scootching closer to the console television, shag carpet softening the distance between point A to point B. You could never get too close to all of that Muppet magic.
As a child, I don't think that I could quite put my finger on the attraction that I had to the show outside of Miss Piggy's deliciously obnoxious ways.
As an adult, I know exactly what I admire. People/Muppets have ideas. They make plans. They carry them out. They stick together. There's a little singing on the side. Everyone is better for it.
Jim Henson and Kermit were dreamers who put those dreams into action. Optimism and hope. I love that in a frog...and a man.
Did you watch the televised memorial for Mr. Henson in 1990? Do you remember watching Big Bird walk up to the podium? Did you cry like a baby even before he opened his beak? I did. For all of his years as a t.v. star, Big Bird is six. Don't you wish we could protect all of the children of the world from tragedy...even the Muppet children? I do.
What does this have to do with the Mississippi Delta? Jim Henson spent his early years in Leland, MS...and that's where Kermie was born. Thanks to Mike, an avid collector of Muppet memorabilia, our tour bus took a quick, unexpected turn into the parking lot next to Deer Creek.
I got to get my picture taken with one of my all-time favorite philosophers. Kermit, not Elvis. The excitement of meeting up with an old friend was electric.
Kermit's been on my mind a lot today. Mainly because of the round-the-clock news coverage of a recent horrific event. For many of us, movie theaters can be magical, nostalgic places. I have fond memories of seeing the Muppet films on the big screen, and who can forget "Goonies"? I got sick when E.T. got sick. I was concerned about leaving the theatre while Han Solo was stuck in that suffocating chocolate bar. What do you mean the movie's over?
It's good to be sensitive to how much of the ongoing news coverage seeps into our children's consciousness. As the adults in their lives, we may need to try to manage how much goes in and how it is digested. Here's a journal article that may help with that.
The Children's Television Workshop was so thoughtful in providing quality, intelligent programming for children. And do you remember when Mr. Rogers spoke right to you? He asked you questions and appeared to listen to your responses. Isn't it great to be heard, especially when you were a kid? I'm not here to tell you how to raise your child, but I think we all could use a little more uplifting, creative and goofy fare in our entertainment diets. Adults included.
Every time I hear this song, I still get all choked up and inspired. I think it's because I feel so hopeful that maybe there are more lovers and dreamers out there to balance out the conflicts that tend to dominate our airwaves. I know that you are one of them, and I hope this song reminds you of the magic that comes from films, friends and big ideas.
Put on your cotton socks and get ready to dust the kitchen floor. It's a Stax dance break. Let's celebrate the amazing talents of Booker T. and the MGs as the house band. Their fingerprints are all over that Memphis soul sound we love so much.
Sam & Dave/ "Hold On, I'm Comin'"
Otis Redding/ "Try a Little Tenderness"
Johnnie Taylor/ "Who's Making Love"
Linda Lyndell/ "What a Man"
The Bar-Kays/ "Soul Finger"
Booker T and the MGs/ "Time is Tight"
This young lady was groovin' at Stax.
Better than a pile of pancakes. Look at that vinyl!
Here lies Mr. Johnson in Little Zion's graveyard. (Davis 7/12)
Robert Johnson is a man of many mysteries. The supposed deal with the devil is only one of them and probably the easiest to dismiss as a bunch of nonsense.
It's called guitar lessons.
Who killed Johnson? Who knows?
But most folks think that the murder had something to do with a woman.
Where is he buried? One of three graves. That's where.
I'm inclined to believe that he's buried in the graveyard of
Little Zion Missionary Baptist Church.
That's where the Blues Trail marker says he is anyway.
And where are the "crossroads"?
Not in Clarkesdale, even though there's a big ol' garish pair of guitars there.
There's a crossroads closer to Dockery Farms
that seems like a plausible place to hitch a ride.
Ask Dr. Brown to point you there.
If you want to spend some time on Johnson's trail, I recommend that you accompany John Hammond in his investigations. There's also an interview with a man who has heard someone confess to killing Johnson.
Here's a section from the documentary "In Search of Robert Johnson."
We've already talked a little bit about money in rural Mississippi-- as in there isn't enough to go around. In the minds of some Mississippians it's money that has replaced skin color as a dividing line.
Church fans.
Let's return for a moment to the town as well. We'll start on Money Road, just north of Greenwood at Little Zion Church. Here we met Deacon Sylvester Hoover and joined DSU's Dr. Henry Outlaw, Jim Abbot who is a local representative of the ACLU, as wells as the son of a lawyer who served on the prosecution team during the Emmett Till trial. The four men led us in a panel discussion of the Till case.
Before you watch though, you are probably somewhat familiar with the landscape of Greenwood since The Help was filmed here. (I know that I'm an English teacher, but if you only saw the film, you really should read the book.)
But back to Emmett Till. Part of our tour of the local community included a stop at Bryant's Grocery. Below you will see the legendary Dr. Luther Brown standing next to the Mississippi Freedom Trail Marker. He wrote the text for this important plaque that marks the spot where young Emmett bought chewing gum and allegedly whistled at the store owner's young wife.
Here are the crumbling remains of the Bryant Store. It is currently owned by one of the jurors from the Till case. You can own it for 3 million dollars. If you buy it, please let Luther know, so he can help you preserve and interpret the site.
The Till jury is best remembered for delivering a remarkably swift decision (not guilty) in the case. Unfortunately, it wasn't because justice was swift. One juror even bragged that the decision would have come sooner, but they stopped to have Coca-Colas.
If you've been following my blog, you know that I've already written about Till at length, so I won't repeat myself. If you'd like to see the FBI files on the Till murder for yourself, they are available here.
The next photo might seem strange to you. It's Clint holding a popular Delta snack. Children down here love Koolickles. Each day included a "taste of the day," and we ate Koolickles in front of the Bryant Grocery. It seemed odd at first to eat a snack in front of such a terrifying site, but it's always good to be reminded of a child's life. Were Emmett a teen visiting his family in the South today, he'd surely get in line for a Koolickle at the local store.
Till is remembered for his death for certain, but up until his kidnapping and murder, he was known for his outgoing and fun-loving nature. Who among us can say that we've entertained our school pals by showing our baby fat and making our tummy roll like the waves? There are countless lessons to be learned from Till's murder, but today let's be reminded of the joyful life that he lived and his mother who loved him so.
Velvet Elvis spent yesterday morning at the homeplace. I took him to Tupelo on our way back home, and he was his usual accommodating self as he posed for pictures. Thankfully, it was just the two of us, so there were no witnesses to this event, but I'll let you in on the details. See for yourself.
We stopped on Main St. too, but E took it easy in the truck while I checked out the scene.
Elvis has an historic marker in Tupelo
as well as a Country Music and Blues Trail marker.
Here he is singing "That's All Right, Mama."
Here's Mississipian songwriter Arthur Crudup performing the same tune.
This Blues Trail marker is on Main St. in Tupelo and alludes to Shake Rag as a musical influence in the local community. Although Elvis was a young teen when his family moved to Memphis, it's hard to doubt that Shake Rag contributed to the sound that he developed as a performer.
We didn't have time to visit Graceland on our way in, but here's the Graceland cam, if you want to see who's lining up right now. You can take a virtual tour here. Or do you need the free Elvis for iPad app?
For a finale, how about Elvis singing "Suspicious Minds" in one of his white jumpsuits? Thankyouverymuch for reading. Enjoy.
Po Monkey's Merigold, MS residence turns into a social club on Thursday nights. You can find your way there using the free Blues Trail App since there's a marker to honor Mr. Monkey right outside his door. All of the siblings in his family were given animal pet names, so that's where "Monkey" comes from. There's a $5 cover charge which is used to pay the DJ. Beer and soda are reasonably priced. If you decide to visit, give yourself a a forcefield of mosquito spray before you get out of your vehicle.
Doctor Tissue plays soul tunes with all of the enthusiasm of a roller rink disc jockey from the 70s. He's situated in the back of Monkey's home where he can survey the crowd's energy, until the crowd gets too thick to evaluate. But the tunes keep coming. Why don't you dance around your kitchen to one of his selections right about now?
My favorite magazine, The Oxford American, has arranged for you to have a peek inside. When you watch this clip, imagine at least 50 more people in this sometimes juke joint. Also, the videographer manages to make the space appear larger than it is, but the joy of the place is evident. Step this way.
Finally, let Dr. Luther Brown tell you all about it in this article from Southern Spaces.
And Lee Aylward wouldn't want you to leave without hearing one of her favorites.
This one is all about art...so I'm going to rely heavily on photographs here. If you visit Merigold, MS, stop in to see Mr. Lee McCarty and his gardens. Better yet, arrange to also eat at the nearby Gallery restaurant where your feast will be served up on his original artwork...lovely, functional pottery from Delta dirt. If you see a squiggle in his designs, that's a nod to the Mississippi River. McCarty's work is reasonably priced, so stock up and plan ahead for the holidays.
Are you planning to tour the gardens? Bring a camera and bug spray.
