JUKE JOINT FESTIVAL & RELATED EVENTS
Downtown Clarksdale, Mississippi
THURSDAY 4/15 – Related Events:
5pm – “Mosquitoville: Mississippi Songs & Stories w/Jimbo Mathus” presented by Clarksdale Revitalization. (Two FREE shows at 6pm & 7:30pm.)
8pm/9pm- Live blues at assorted venues including Ground Zero Blues Club, Red’s Lounge and more (cover charges apply).
5pm – “Mosquitoville: Mississippi Songs & Stories w/Jimbo Mathus” presented by Clarksdale Revitalization. (Two FREE shows at 6pm & 7:30pm.)
8pm/9pm- Live blues at assorted venues including Ground Zero Blues Club, Red’s Lounge and more (cover charges apply).
FRIDAY 4/16 – Related Events:
12 noon – WROX Blues Trail marker dedication (historic location on Delta Ave.).
1pm – “Give My Poor Heart Ease” blues book signing by Bill Ferris (Cat Head on Delta Ave.).
2pm – Live blues by All Night Long Blues Band (Cat Head on Delta Ave.)
3pm – “Conversations with Honeyboy Edwards” interview presentation (Delta Blues Museum).
4pm – Bill Ferris blues presentation (Delta Blues Museum).
5pm – Care Station Fish Fry w/music on Delta Blues Museum stage.
8pm/9pm – Live blues at multiple venues, etc… (plus earlier music at Ground Zero Blues Club).
(ALSO – Monkeys Riding Dogs — no, really!! — during the day on Friday; times TBA.)
SATURDAY 4/17 – Juke Joint Festival:
7th annual event. “Half blues festival, half small-town fair and all about the Delta.” Racing pigs, arts & crafts and lots of live blues – including music at the juke joints at night. Over 50 blues acts performing on 8 daytime stages and in 16 nighttime venues. Free music by day and just a $10 wristband by night (details at jukejointfestival.com). Acts include Honeyboy Edwards, Big George Brock, Super Chikan, Big Jack Johnson, Watermelon Slim, Cedric Burnside & Lightnin’ Malcolm, Terry “Big T” Williams (pick up his new CD at www.terrybigtwilliams.com), T-Model Ford, Terry “Harmonica” Bean, Johnny Rawls, The Scissormen, Stacy Mitchhart, Robert Belfour, Bilbo Walker, All Night Long Blues Band, Mary Ann “Action” Jackson, Mr. Johnnie Billington, Hal Reed, Josh “Razorblade” Stewart, and many many more. Nighttime jukes include Ground Zero Blues Club, Red’s Lounge, Hopson Commissary, Sarah’s, Messengers, Club 2000 and other favorites. Nighttime bus shuttles between venues… plus an authentic train running from downtown out to Hopson Plantation… and a shuttle to/from Isle of Capri Hotel. Info at www.jukejointfestival.com.
SUNDAY 4/18 – Related Events:
10am till – Cat Head Mini Blues Fest out front of the Cat Head blues store at 252 Delta Ave, www.cathead.biz — starring Honeyboy Edwards, Big George Brock, Rev Peyton’s Big Damn Band, Bilbo Walker and more; music fest free; BBQ also available from Big Red.
11am-2pm – Sunday Blues Brunch at Ground Zero Blues Club w/free live blues by KM Williams & Washboard Jackson at 12noon.
7pm – Blues Jams at Red’s Lounge, Tricia’s and more!
ACCOMMODATIONS:
– Full list of area hotels/B&Bs on-line at http://www.cathead.biz/guide.html
– Note: Most Clarksdale hotel rooms have sold out as of 3/17/10, but Isle of Capri in nearby Lula just opened up 70 more; call 1-800-The-Isle and provide promo code “JUKE” for special fest rate; they’ll run bus shuttle on Sat April 17th (noon-midnight) to/from downtown Clarksdale (beside Ground Zero Blues Club).