Clarksdale?
Clarksdale??
What the Fuck is a 'Clarksdale???'
Clarksdale is a small burg in the Mississippi Delta that is the home of blues artists such as Muddy Waters. The Mississippi Delta has long been regarded as the Birthplace and Home of the Delta Blues..
The 25th Sunflower Blues Festival is scheduled for August 10-12... and you can read about it HERE.
The headliner for this year's blues fest is none other than Robert Plant... of Led Zeppelin fame!!!
The downside to this event is that it's outdoors, and it has been HOT here... last afternoon at 5PM it was 104F.
Muddy Waters, born as McKinley Morganfield, was raised around Clarksdale... he was one of the major influences of the different bands that helped make up the 'British Invasion' back in the mid-60s... bands like 'The Rolling Stones,' 'The Animals,' 'Cream'...
Robert Plant and Jimmy Page are no strangers to Clarksdale and the Mississippi Delta. They have been sighted around here quite often. Quite a few of Zeppelin's early hits were covers of old blues standards.
One of my favorite musical family tree stories of that era starts with a band by the name of the Yardbirds... they had a guitarist, Eric Clapton, that left to pursue other opportunities... and Clapton was replaced by Jeff Beck... then Jeff Beck wanted to do other work, so Beck was replaced by Jimmy Page. Not long afterwards, The Yardbirds disbanded... and Jimmy Page went about re-organizing the band under the name of 'The New Yardbirds'... Keith Moon, drummer for 'The Who,' commented that this band would go over like a lead balloon... and they were so moved by this comment, that they changed the name to 'Led Zeppelin'... so they were a blues derivative band...
This song was written by Willie Dixon... and sang by Muddy Waters... one of just a few songs that Led Zeppelinbastardized covered by Dixon...
Other notable sights to see in Clarksdale...
The 25th Sunflower Blues Festival is scheduled for August 10-12... and you can read about it HERE.
The headliner for this year's blues fest is none other than Robert Plant... of Led Zeppelin fame!!!
The downside to this event is that it's outdoors, and it has been HOT here... last afternoon at 5PM it was 104F.
Muddy Waters, born as McKinley Morganfield, was raised around Clarksdale... he was one of the major influences of the different bands that helped make up the 'British Invasion' back in the mid-60s... bands like 'The Rolling Stones,' 'The Animals,' 'Cream'...
Robert Plant and Jimmy Page are no strangers to Clarksdale and the Mississippi Delta. They have been sighted around here quite often. Quite a few of Zeppelin's early hits were covers of old blues standards.
One of my favorite musical family tree stories of that era starts with a band by the name of the Yardbirds... they had a guitarist, Eric Clapton, that left to pursue other opportunities... and Clapton was replaced by Jeff Beck... then Jeff Beck wanted to do other work, so Beck was replaced by Jimmy Page. Not long afterwards, The Yardbirds disbanded... and Jimmy Page went about re-organizing the band under the name of 'The New Yardbirds'... Keith Moon, drummer for 'The Who,' commented that this band would go over like a lead balloon... and they were so moved by this comment, that they changed the name to 'Led Zeppelin'... so they were a blues derivative band...
This song was written by Willie Dixon... and sang by Muddy Waters... one of just a few songs that Led Zeppelin
Other notable sights to see in Clarksdale...
Ground Zero Blues Club
Hopson Plantation
My buddy, Ronnie...
~shoes~
I am a little jealous!!! Led Zeppelin is/was amazing and to witness this moment, even in the heat, is well worth it.
ReplyDeleteHi there, Ana... a few years ago, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page were scheduled to play in Memphis. My son had always been a big Zeppelin fan, and I asked him if he wanted to go. He said he didn't because it just wasn't Led Zeppelin. I got him a ticket and we went anyway... He had a BLAST!!!
DeleteHow are things with you?
~shoes~
Easy on the Zep. Lot's of white English dudes were bastardizing the blues back then. I won't ever take down my framed, 'Song Remains the Same' box-office movie poster, but try as I have, I can't get into anything Bob or Jimmy did after Bonzo passed. I saw John Paul Jones though, wearin' out some blugrass... with Bella Fleck, maybe.. I can't remember.
ReplyDeleteEndure the heat man... go!
Hi there, Steven... Yeah, you are right about lots of white British dudes bastardizing the blues. Specifically what I was referring to was that Zep was reworking the songs, and claiming song writing credits for the work. Eventually, song writing credits went to the appropriate writers...
ReplyDeleteYeah... what's up with John Paul Jones and blue grass? I hear he's kicking it!!!
~shoes~
you said Clarksdale and I immediately thought THE MONKEES and then wondered if that song was Clarksdale or Clarksville, then googled it, and saw that it was in fact Clarksville, then went back to thinking about Clarksdale....Muddy Waters, Robert Plant, how my sister got Led Zeppelin and I got Pink Floyd and how silly that all was. Then remembered when it started... with the MONKEES. She got Davy and I got Micky. Now Davy's dead and my first husband looked freakishly like Micky....
ReplyDeleteGee Shoes... yet set me on a nice morning wanderthought fest.
While you're soaking in Plant, I'll be in Rhinebeck, NY at a memoir festival. I use writing workshops as ways of coping with my inability to get out of my own way when it comes to writing a book, or submitting anything for publication.
LOVED the Yardbirds to Zeppelin story!!!
QUESTION: What does number 8 mean? to you....
Curiously yours, MonkeyME
Hi there, Monkey Girl...
DeleteYeah, the Monkees was 'Clarksville'...
You know, I liked Zeppelin then, but for some reason, I later 'got' Pink Floyd. I guess I didn't understand then, but I certainly do now.
Yep, Davy's dead...
I would think that a writing workshop could be a great deal of fun... entertaining. I bet it will be cooler there...
The number '8' has no real meaning to me. I looked up the meanings of the number '8' and didn't really see anything that jumped out at me.
The only thing I can think of re: '8' is that in numerical music notation, '8' signifies the octave of the root of a scale... but that's it...
What does the number 8 mean to you?
~shoes~
Sweet!! Wish we could make it there for that. ( I miss you Clarksdale and the Shackup Inn **sad face**)
ReplyDeleteHey you... I was wondering if you might make it down for this? When did you come down last? For 'Juke Joint Fest' or the 'Sunflower Blues Fest?'
Delete~shoes~
That sounds great - but oh . . . that heat! I could never stand it that hot - but then I am a northerner!!
ReplyDeleteGood morning, Katherine. Unfortunately, being a Northerner hasn't been that much of a relieve for the heat... :o(
Delete~shoes~
He probably just wants to see if he can meet the devil at the Crossroads! :)
ReplyDeleteHi, Ryan... I bet SO!!
DeleteYou know, legend has it that it was Robert Johnson who met the devil at the crossroads, and traded his soul for the ability to play the guitar 'real good.'
"Oh, Brother, Where Art Thou" presents the same tale, but with Tommy Johnson... that is the true tale of it all. Robert indeed had a cousin named Tommy who told of trading his soul, and Robert took it for his own.
Supposedly, the Crossroads is supposed to be the intersection of Hwys 61 and 49... here in the Delta.
~shoes~
We r blessed to live where we do--
ReplyDeleteClose to a lot of great music, great history, great food--
I read where Robert Plant took Patty Griffin around the Delta not too long ago. I would love to see her and him together. I like Patty Griffin a lot.
I looked to see if Patty Griffin was gonna be in Memphis anytime soon. Not anytime soon unfortunately. I'm sure she will come back again.
The Mississippi Delta does have some lovely music festivals.
See an almost "short" comment with "none of my stories" included this go 'round.
Soon I will be down to a sentence or two. I'm working on it. It's not easy to contain oneself.
Hi there, Stormy... they were in Clarksdale maybe three months ago. He really likes Clarksdale a lot. A friend of mine have a photo that he took of them while in
DeleteC'dale.
Yeah, there are some great festivals around. Do they still hold that one on the Grounds of the National Metal Museum there near the river? What's the name of it?? That should be coming up very soon!
~shoes~
That sounds awesome! There are some great music festivals in NC, but nothing really here in Charlotte...most involve several hours of driving to the opposite side of the State.
ReplyDelete(Good Lord, I sound lazy).
Stay cool, this summer is out to melt our brains.
Hi, Jessica... I would think that there would be some great blue grass festivals in NC.
DeleteWhen it's as hot as it has been this summer, lazy is just alright!
~shoes~
"Bastardized" was too mild a term. Hell, Zep outright STOLE licks, but I like what they did with them.
ReplyDeleteHi there, Heff... you are right... the licks, the lyrics, the whole nine yards.
DeleteIn their defense, they may have thought that the changes that they made were enough for the songs to be considered theirs.
I liked what they did with them as well!
~shoes~
Jealous..............Id like to see that.
ReplyDeleteHave a great time.
Hi there, Choleesa... it should be a great deal of fun!!!
Delete~shoes~
*sniff*
ReplyDeleteI wanna come hear him...
I met Robert Plant at the last show I did... I didn't even address Zep 'cause I wanted to talk about his work with Allison Krause... prior to that he wasn't very impressive to me. (I know... I heard the world-wide *gasp* because I just said that.) LOL
The "Raising Sands" album is just phenomenal...
Hi there, Robelyn... then c'mon and let's go!
DeleteYou have told me that story about meeting him. I read earlier this evening that he and Patty Griffin have been living in Austin, TX...
There are some great music clips on YouTube of Allison Krauss and Robert Plant. I've always liked her work with Union Station.
~shoes~
I am not aware of any festivals coming up at the Natural Metal Museum.
ReplyDeleteI try to keep up weekly by reading the Memphis Flyer and going online to research things happening in Memphis and anywhere in a decent couple hours drive.
I lived in NC for 16 years and loved their festivals.
My mom recently moved to Nixa, MO and I look forward to going up there too. It is a six-hour drive but pups and I can stay with her to visit and sightsee. They have a lot of crafts/fairs.
So much I want to do when time and money allow.
I know Memphis is a wee bit far for u to drive but look into Levitt Shell. They have been having free concerts and some of the bands/musicians u have mentioned. I think they start again. They usually run Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sundays. Someone I work with mentioned it to me. I checked it out.
R Robert Plant and Patty Griffin an item? U said they lived in Austin, TX. Another place I would love to visit. Does not really matter if they r an item or not truthfully.
Allison Krauss--luv her.
Anywho--
Have fun at Clarksdale Festival. I need to hook up with my cousins in Greenwood, MS. I have an aunt also that would love to go.
I have really wanted to go to some of the museums down there. Plus to see where they filmed "The Help".
Amazing how those dirt roads r now tourist attractions. I just call it home.
Smile.
Take care Professor Shoes.
Still trying on working getting these comments smaller. I do not even talk this much in person. I rather like to listen to others.
It's not the Natural Metal Museum.. it's the National Metal Museum...
DeleteI like the Memphis Flyer... very entertaining and up to date on the music happenings in and around Memphis.
~shoes~
Would love to hear some good ole Delta blues IN the Delta. Clarksville blues festival, huh? I bet that's a good time. As long as they have cooling rooms. You know, I don't think Austin even has a blues festival. Now that's just crazy when I think about it.
ReplyDeleteAs long as it's not too hot, the festivals are great fun... and one never really knows who he/she is going run into at these things.
DeleteI met Hubert Sumlin walking down the streets in Clarksdale a few years ago... another time I saw John Hammond Jr sitting on a loading dock playing blues on an old dobro...
Really nice. I need to get back to Austin. I've only been there once and that was on a mis-guided trip a couple of years ago.
~shoes~
Oops. Typo.
ReplyDeleteI know the Museum near the old bridge.
Yes one can plan their entertainment life by the Memphis Flyer. I circle what I want to see/do weekly and try to squeeze it in if I can.
I wanted to see Martina McBride but I do not think I will be able.
Oh well next go around.
I totally missed James Taylor a couple of weeks ago on Mud Island.
But there is always something going on in Memphis.
I live downtown so I am in the middle of it all.
Nite nite from Memphis.
I love saying that for some reason.
#I washed my hands in muddy water...# Howdy, Shoes! The British invasion... yeah, it made my friend El a bit less interesting back then.
ReplyDeleteI like that word... bastardized hahahaha!