We finally took to the road to explore more of The South. Friday we headed with our neighbor Sujith to Clarksdale, Mississippi: crossroads of the blues. The Ground Zero Blues Club hosted the event, and served dinner throughout the show. Being able to eat and drink during the show was a real plus, especially when Tyrone saw the “fried tamales” on the menu. He ordered them to find golf ball-sized bits of tamale encased in golden brown delicious fried batter.
The show lineup had equal parts blues, soul, and rockabilly, but to my yankee ears, it all sounded like the blues: noodly guitar blues, blues with horns, and blues with twang. I wish we had more live music options in central Arkansas.
The crowd was great too. I think we were seated next to the folks from New Orleans who loved to dance. We loved to watch them.
Morgan Freeman is a part owner of the Ground Zero blues club, and bets were made as to if he would show up or not. Two celebrities introduced bands: Ben Jones (aka “Cooter” from the Dukes of Hazard), and Joey Lauren Adams. I also an into a gal from Marquette, Nebraska! Small world!
We ended up having a really good time and exploring some of the town the next day. The drive back was very comforting for me. Northern Mississippi and southwest Arkansas is as flat as my home in Nebraska. The agricultural plots in Mississippi also really made me realize the lack of real farmland in central Arkansas.
Bobby Rush
Wiley and the Checkmates and Joey Lauren Adams
Cooter from the Dukes of Hazard
No Morgan Freeman sighting, just this painting