Juke Joint Festival
I thought I would write more regularly if I switched from Wordpress to Blot but that hasn’t been the case. I am not sure what it takes. Maybe having something to say?
John and I spent most of April traveling around the South. A major draw was the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale, Mississippi. I first heard about this festival in 2019 after reading a book on Robert Johnson which described the juke joints in the South. A juke joint is similar to a bar or tavern, although it might be a room in someone’s home or the backroom of a business. Juke joints were places where African Americans gathered to listen to music, eat, drink, dance, and have a good time. Musicians like Robert Johnson traveled from town to town earning money by playing at juke joints.
Each year, the Juke Joint Festival brings 10-20k people to listen to the kind of music you’d hear in a Juke Joint. It’s just the right size for a festival, imo - still small enough to feel grassroots, crowds that are manageable.
Clarksdale is a town of about 20k in the Mississippi Delta, the home of the Blues. A sign marking the crossroad where Robert Johnson sold his soul is nearby, although some dispute the location of the crossroads or doubt Johnson sold his soul at all. We’d spent the night before in a cheap hotel near some casinos in Tunica, not far from where Johnson grew up.
Like other rural towns, Clarksdale has seen better days. We were getting a little nervous as we headed into town, passing by one abandoned building after another. I was on edge after reading about the high crime levels.
That having been said, there’s a lot of positive energy in Clarksdale right now. Meraki Roasting Company, a project under the Griot Arts umbrella, offers young people a hands on opportunity to learn how to run a business. Creating opportunities for kids is a big deal in a town where 26% of the population is under 18.
I hit Meraki up every morning for coffee and an omelet. I was really excited to find traditional Southern food, vegan style, for lunch: a pea loaf with collards and sweet potatoes. This was the kind of coffee shop we all want: good coffee and food, couches, books, a stage, chill vibes.
Quapaw Canoe Company hosted the festival camping. This is another organization that’s actively engaged in building community. We wound up in the overflow camping area at Soldier’s Park which was a short walk along a trail to downtown Clarksdale. There had been some flooding in the area in the days before so the river looked like a pond and the disc golf baskets were mostly under water, just the tops peeking out.
The festival was fantastic. Downtown Clarksdale was transformed by all the people and musicians. There were about a dozen stages set up throughout the town for outdoor performances and musicians also played inside juke joints. We saw some great shows. Highlights for me were CRUZ the Dame, Cash’s Juke Joint, harmonica player Deak Harp, Earnest “Guitar” Roy. We also got to hear Jimmy “Duck” Holmes play Bentonian style blues.
It was neat to see how this festival has allowed Clarksdale to transform even buildings with no roofs into something special. An old theatre had a stage and four walls but no ceiling. The shows were al fresco.
The Juke Joint Festival was everything I hoped it would be and it was inspiring to see people coming together to bring something amazing to their town. I will be keeping my eyes on the festival calendar in Clarksdale.
Travel May 7, 2024