Hushpuckena, Alligator and Bobo

April 21, 2015

Clarksdale, Mississippi

A Quick Journal-Picayune News Quiz

Question: What do the three names in the title of this page have in common?

Answer: They are all real towns I passed today on the Blues Highway.

QUESTION: What is the name of this important Mississippi crop? ANSWER: Cotton

Question: What are the tallest hills in the entire Mississippi Delta region?

Answer: I believe they are the greens at a golf course along Highway 61 near the town of Shelby. My theory is that the builders of the course used bulldozers to raise the greens slightly to give them a little contour, otherwise every putt would be a straight-in gimme.

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Seriously, I don't remember shifting gears even once today. I became entranced by the turning of my crank arm and pedals. Round and round and round and round and round and round and round and round and round . . . the cadence was as consistent and as reliable as the rhythm set by a really good drummer . . . round and round and round and round and round and round and round and round and round and round and round . . . I realize this is boring reading . . . round and round and round and round and round and round and round . . . but to me it was peaceful and cathartic.

After riding about 250 miles of the Blues Highway over the last few days, it was now time to immerse myself in some actual "Blues." And there could be no better place to do that than in Clarksdale, which is practically the epicenter of that uniquely American musical genre.

I started out at The Delta Blues Museum. Before I go on, I should state that I am not a big-time Blues aficionado. I like the Blues but I am not particularly knowledgeable about it. Keep that in mind when I say the museum was GREAT! I liked it better than The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame which I visited during last year's bike tour. Housed in a former railroad depot, the Blues Museum is much more modest than the RRHOF. It is also less expensive, less crowded, less pretentious, less ostentatious, MORE efficiently presented, and more fun.

I was amazed at how many Bluesmen came from this part of eastern Mississippi. Some of the most famous names I recall were Muddy Waters, Elmore James, Robert Johnson, John Lee Hooker, Son House, Howlin' Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson, Mose Allison, and my personal favorite (because I once saw him perform) James "Super Chikan" Johnson.

The museum also did a good job in demonstrating what a profound influence the Blues--particularly the Delta style of Blues--had on the development of rock music. Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, and ZZ Top all gave tributes to the Delta Blues musicians.

Unfortunately, no photography or videos are allowed inside the museum.

Next, I walked across the street to The Ground Zero Blues Club. What the hell? The place looked like a cross between a dilapidated drug house and an abandoned inner-city sweatshop. I went inside anyway and found it to be a really cool beer and BBQ joint with plenty of Blues memorabilia mounted on the walls and hanging from the ceiling. Blues music was rocking over the loudspeakers. I had a "Real Deal Sammich" (that's really what it was called on the menu) which was a pulled pork sandwich.

Nobody in their right mind would go into this place if they didn't know what it was.

It's the famous Ground Zero Blues Club. Among the owning partners is actor Morgan Freeman.

Legend has it that Robert Johnson, the great Delta Blues singer/songwriter/guitarist from the 1930's, sold his soul to the devil at the Clarksdale intersection of Highways 61 and 49 in exchange for guitar talent and fame. I can relate. I sold my soul here too--in exchange for the relative luxury of a $129 room at the Hampton Inn.

Today's ride: 40 miles (64 km)
Total: 477 miles (768 km)

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