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Kent Kimbrough's Birthday Party at Junior's Juke Joint #2 in Holly Springs
I had been at Duwayne Burnside’s birthday event at the Blues Shack earlier in the evening, and he had mentioned that drummer Kent Kimbrough was also having a birthday party at Junior’s Juke Joint #2...
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Soul Lives In Memphis at The Plexx
On a rainy Friday night, after I had eaten dinner at AC’s Steakhouse in Hernando, Mississippi, I was driving back into Memphis looking for some live music, preferably blues or soul. Coming in on Elvis...
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R. L. Boyce and the Hill Country Blues at Como, Mississippi
Como, Mississippi is a town of significant importance when it comes to the Hill Country style of blues, and it is a town that has had something of a nightlife renaissance in recent years, with several...
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Red White & Blues: Celebrating the Fourth With R. L. Boyce in North Mississippi
Since blues is one of the unique genres of music invented in America, I can think of few better ways to spend the Fourth of July than at a blues picnic. While there weren’t many public blues events in...
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Coors Memphis Celebrating the Southern Heritage Classic With John Williams...
During the tailgating day at the Southern Heritage Classic, the ultimate destination is the official City of Memphis party sponsored by Coors Memphis, on what is roughly the site of the old Tim...
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Celebrating Unity And An Effort To Save A Dying Town
On a weekday afternoon, I had driven up to Mason, Tennessee after work to eat at Bozo’s Bar-B-Que, and had noticed signs around the little town announcing a “Unity Fall Fest” on September 19. I...
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Booker Brown and Big Don Valentine Deliver The Blues at September In Fredonia
Since nobody seemed to know where in Mason Big Don Valentine would be performing, I sent him a text on Facebook to ask about the location. and he responded back with an address. I had assumed that the...
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New Meets Old at the Plexx
Dr. Alfred Brown’s club called The Plexx in an old decrepit shopping center on E. H. Crump Boulevard in Memphis is one of the few places in the city where authentic old-school live blues and soul can...
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Enjoying Classic Hill Country Blues at Li’l Poyun’s Place In Como, Mississippi
Como, Mississippi, a little town in the northern extremity of Panola County is historically a center of the Hill Country of Mississippi. Mississippi Fred McDowell was from Como, as was Napoleon...
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A Preview Party For The Juke Joint Fest at Tin Roof Memphis
Every April, the Juke Joint Festival takes over Clarksdale, Mississippi, bringing blues fans from all over the world to the small city in the Mississippi Delta, but this year, on the Wednesday before...
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Juke Joint Fest: Roosevelt Roberts Jr
New photo by John Shaw / Google Photos New photo by John Shaw / Google Photos New photo by John Shaw / Google Photos New photo by John Shaw / Google Photos New photo by John Shaw / Google Photos The...
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Juke Joint Fest: Robert Kimbrough Sr.
New photo by John Shaw / Google Photos New photo by John Shaw / Google Photos New photo by John Shaw / Google Photos https://goo.gl/photos/s4jteaUNAD1CeVUz7 https://goo.gl/photos/UVkm22dYN7mP4J1GA...
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Closing Out The Blues In The Alley Series With Gerod Rayborn
New photo by John Shaw / Google Photos New photo by John Shaw / Google Photos New photo by John Shaw / Google Photos New photo by John Shaw / Google Photos New photo by John Shaw / Google Photos New...
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Celebrating The Legacy of Como, Mississippi
New photo by John Shaw / Google Photos New photo by John Shaw / Google Photos New photo by John Shaw / Google Photos New photo by John Shaw / Google Photos New photo by John Shaw / Google Photos New...
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Jake and the Pearl Street Jumpers at The Blue Biscuit
After leaving Alligator, we ended up heading down to Drew, and taking Highway 49W through Ruleville, Doddsville and Sunflower into Indianola, to one of my very favorite restaurants in the world, The...
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An Authentic Blues Experience in the Wilderness of Fayette County
If you travel due north from Holly Springs in Marshall County, Mississippi, you will come to Fayette County, Tennessee, a rather similar county in many respects. Both counties once were extensively...
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R. L. Boyce, Cam Kimbrough, Joyce Jones and the Rising Star Fife and Drum...
New Orleans’beloved Jazz Fest celebrates the wide diversity of New Orleans music, but the Memphis equivalent, the Beale Street Music Festival generally does not feature Memphis’ musical culture or...
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Bikes and Blues On Historic Ground near Como
On the last weekend of September, Memphis-based blues and southern soul singer Gerod Rayborn asked me if I would play keyboards with his band for a blues show taking place at Como, Mississippi. The...
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Celebrating the Hill Country Tradition at Como’s Annual Day
Each October, the City of Como, Mississippi sponsors a large, daylong festival and picnic called Como Day, featuring vendors, food trucks, custom cars and excellent live music. Como Day is one of a...
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Akeem Kemp: The Future of the Blues
Sometime before New Year’s Eve, a lady friend had shared a link with me on social media about a young musician named Akeem Kemp who was performing in Conway, Arkansas on January 13. I had not heard...
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