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.
When will it be okay to hail from the South? When you flip through your kazillion television channels, do you ever get the feeling that southerners are the last group of folks that it's okay to lampoon as a a matter of course? Now I'm not saying that we all don't deserve a little satire and ribbing now and again. What I'm wondering is...who's telling the rest of the story?
When a southern character appears in a television show, do you expect him or her to act in a certain way? Are you 99.9% sure that the conflict of racism will feature in 99.9% of the plot? I'm speaking hyperbolically here, I know.
When a southern character does not appear in a television show, do you wonder where he or she is? How cool would it have been to have a Mississippian for a physicist on "The Big Bang Theory"? Way cool.
Specifically, what's it like to be from the Mississippi Delta? Before the casinos rolled into town in Tunica, Tunica was the poorest county in America. It's okay. Read that sentence again. Can you imagine being a citizen of the poorest county in America? I'll bet we've all been exposed to impoverished communities, but the poorest? I know that "poor" doesn't always mean "miserable." On the other hand, what does it feel like to wonder what the future will hold when you are a child in such a town?
This brings me to a legion of Swiss bikers. Really, it does. Hang in there. You've heard about highway 61...the Blues Highway. Well, basically there's old 61 and middle-aged 61. If you visit today, you will travel the latter. There are plans to create a new 61. Guess which hallowed blues site was in the path of this new plan. Dockery Farms...possible birthplace of the blues. Yes. Now, this sounds incomprehensible to us. How could this be?
Here's my opinion on the matter. When your state always seems to be on the bottom rung of the ladder and when you're fighting to keep your head above water in an area that is suffering severe economic depression, perhaps you are not thinking clearly. Where was the community outrage? Perhaps they were uninformed, broke and preoccupied with the daily business of living. Perhaps they never got the message that their culture and heritage was of great value to the world outside their doorstep. I imagine that it's easy to misjudge your Mississippi town's importance when you are living that far below the poverty line without a direct link to the rest of the universe. Here come the bikers in Cecil Vick's article, "How Swiss Bikers Saved the Blues."
"...a group of 30 bikers from Switzerland arrived at Dockery Farms on Harley-Davidson motorcycles to stage a blues sing-in and to support the preservation of the Dockery site and buildings... The Swiss bikers had traveled to America, rented bikes in New Orleans, and were touring Delta Blues sites. They spent the entire morning protesting and singing the blues--often in German. Biker Phillip Franchiser told the Bolivar Commercial that Dockery is a very important and well known blues site to European blues fans: Dockery Farms is very prestigious in Switzerland. It’s a big mysterious legendary place. Anyone who knows anything about the blues knows about people like Charlie Patton and Will Dockery. I’m really glad to be here.'"
Dockery Farms is safe for now. New 61 will skirt the site. You may find it using the free Blues Trail app. The Blues Trail Markers are designed to help bring money into the Delta. Unlike the grey plaques that dot our main highways, these markers were placed off the beaten track in order to bring money and visitors right to where history was made.
If you do get to visit the Mississippi Delta, you'll fall in love with the people right away. They are friendly and genuinely happy to see you, especially when you tell them that you are enjoying their town. If you have been blessed with some disposable income, spend freely and always tip a little extra when you can. If you are unable to visit and are looking for a charity to support, Dr. Luther Brown gives glowing recommendations for Mound Bayou's Sisters of Mercy.
Being a student and a tourist has kept me from blogging, but I'm going to get back to letting you know the highlights as soon as I can. It will probably be all out of chronological order, but as we know in the South, the past is never past. It's just that Dockery Farms and the marginalization of the poor, rural South's contributions to American culture were on my mind this morning. You know what they say about a prophet in his own land. Sometimes we need to remind those lands that we value their people and history.
Good morning from the Comfort Inn in Cleveland, MS. I'm in the reception area while what seems to be a rather sizable Vacation Bible School push has its mission control center. Most of the men have already left, but the women are chatting over their continental breakfast.
Welcome to Tennessee!
Elvis hasn't left the building yet though; he's with me. Thanks to a dear friend, we own an understated velvet Elvis who usually hangs out in our kitchen next to the fridge. This week he hit the road with us and is currently enjoying seeing the Delta again. The other teachers encouraged me to bring him to class, so here he is. I have a pair of Elvis sunglasses that I picked up at Loretta Lynn's Camp Kitchen in case folks want to "dress up" for a photo with Elvis.
On the way here, we stopped in Murfreesboro to spend the night and visit with one of my best girlfriends from high school and college. We also got to meet her new husband and place Elvis in various locations in their backyard. Thank goodness for patient friends.
Elvis is in the hammock.
Elvis is in the swing with my long-suffering boyfriend.
Elvis is serenading Lori.
The guest pillowcase and grandma-made quilt in Murfreesboro.
Loretta Lynn dolls available for purchase at the Camp Kitchen.
Our days are packed full here at The Most Southern Place on Earth, but I hope to get caught back up with you soon. I hope that you are also enjoying your summer and learning a new trick or three.
Ohmygoodnessitishot. I bet you know what I'm talking about. We're trying to tie up loose ends around here with the house, lawn and garden. The almost-new heating element on my dryer has stopped working, but we don't really need it right now. There's sun tea brewing outside the kitchen door. I've impatiently picked a few of our black cherry tomatoes early. Our neighbor's kitties have been checked out by the vet, and I pick up the runt of the litter tonight. Locally roasted coffee beans are on the way to share with folks at Delta State. My parents have been given the official caretakers' instructions.
I'm trying to re-read some of the required materials that I read months ago at the laundromat, back when the dryer wasn't working last time. I'm also trying to add in extra reading and watching to prepare for the coursework. Last night we enjoyed the documentary "M for Mississippi. "
I'm looking forward to hearing Bill Abel tell us all about the blues. You can see him right here.
Y'all, I don't know how I'm going to survive the Delta heat without wearing a headscarf every day. I am going to be a fashion don't from sun up to sun down. I'll be wearing a bathtub or hotel pool in the evening. Don't worry...I won't mention your name while I'm a hot mess.
Albuquerque Stuart on mandolin, Bill Abel and Memphis Clint on guitar. Mr. Abel seemed to enjoy playing with our teacher participants. (Davis 7/12)
Happy 4th! If you need some tunes to put some dip in your hip, Mr. Greg Vandy's annual "Soul Freedom" radio show is live tonight! He is in Seattle, so his show is 6-9 on the left coast. Over here, it's 9-12. If you miss it, you can always catch it in the archives at some point this week. Here's more information about tonight's show.
It's also Stephen Foster's birthday. He was born in PA, but his music is often associated with the South. Enjoy Ms. Mavis Staples covering "Hard Times Come Again No More" to celebrate.
